Records continue to tumble in Tokyo as we come into day eight of the Paralympic Games. Plenty of action to follow, particularly in shooting where three UAE stars will be aiming for gold and glory.
Below are the Mena athletes we will be following on Wednesday.
Athletics
Olympic Stadium
Likely to be quite the competition in the men’s seated javelin - F34 final, with half the field featuring Mena athletes. Likely to medal will be Saeid Afrooz of Iran. Look out for 2008 gold medalist Faouzi Rzig of Tunisia, double Paralympian Azeddine Nouiri from Morocco and Hussein Khafaji of Iraq.
UAE’s Maryam Al Zeyoudi is back in action among the F41 women in the discus throw. It's likely to be a tough battle for gold between Tunisia’s decorated Raoua Tlili and favourite Youssra Karim from Morocco.
Tunisian Rio bronze-medalist Fathia Amaimia will be in the mix. Moroccan Hayat El Garaa and Tunisian Samar Ben Koelleb have added almost two metres to their PB’s since Rio, both will be pushing for new PBs.
Paralympic veteran and four-time gold-medalist Mohamed Chida of Tunisia will be looking to add to his impressive legacy in the men’s T38 long jump final.
Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Al Qurashi and Fahad Alganaidl are racing for a place in the final of the men’s T53 100m competition. Both will be wanting to make history as the first Saudi to medal in a Paralympic track event.
Having finished sixth in the club throw, Noura Al Ketbi of UAE is back in action in the women’s F32 shot put. Al Ketbi has improved substantially since she won silver in Rio, but finds herself in a field of tough competition, including Algeria’s Mounia Gasmi.
Sarah Aljumaah of Saudi Arabia will be throwing in the final of the women’s seated shot put - f36 class.
Many Mena men will be competing for a place in the final of the 400m T13 in the evening session, including Paralympic champion and world record holder Mohamed Amguoun of Morocco. Algeria’s Skaner Athmani and Abdellatif Baka are pipped to do well, as is Moroccan Mouncef Bouja and Vahid Alinajimi of Iran.
Badminton
Yoyogi National Stadium
2018 European champion Israel’s Nina Gorodetzky is up against 2017 world championship Jing Zhang in the women’s singles WH1 opening group play game.
Goalball
Makuhari Messe
Israel’s women are playing for a place in the semi-final for the first time when they face 2012 champions and hosts Japan.
Shooting
Asaka Shooting Range
Three UAE athletes will be taking aim at the Asaka Shooting Range.
Abdulla Al Aryani will be shooting in his preferred competition - the mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 class. Having picked up gold in London and silver in Rio de Janeiro, he will have his sights on the medals again. Saif Al Nuaimi who will be aiming to improve on his Rio 14th place finish, will also be representing the emirates, as will Ayesha Al Mehairi in the SH2 class.
Wheelchair Basketball
Various venues
Algeria’s women will play against Colombia in the playoff for 11/12th place.
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
Company%20profile
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The%C2%A0specs%20
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
Wonka
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Results
2pm: Al Sahel Contracting Company – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: AF Mutakafel, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: El Baareq, Antonio Fresu, Rashed Bouresly
3pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Alkaraama, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
4pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Lady Snazz, Saif Al Balushi, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Hive – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
5pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – (TB) Handicap Dh64,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
Ferrari
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INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)