Tokyo Paralympics: Para athletics day 9 preview

There will be plenty of finals to enjoy on the penultimate day of Para athletics action at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The National Olympic Stadium will host 10 finals in the morning and 13 on the evening of Saturday, 4 September.

The competition will kick off with the women’s javelin throw F54. Flora Ugwunwa from Nigeria is the world record holder and the defending Paralympic champion. She won a silver medal at the Dubai 2019 World Championships.

Rio 2016 was actually the last time China’s Liwan Yang finished behind Ugwunwa. She is the back to back world champion from London 2017 and Dubai 2019. Yang is also the London 2012 Paralympic champion and took silver in Rio de Janeiro.

The event will also have another Paralympic champion. Ntombizanele Situ from South Africa won the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. She is a two-time world champion and a three-time bronze medallist.

Situ is also the ranking leader in 2021. She set the mark in Port Elizabeth in April. Ugwunwa is sitting in second place, while Nurkhon Kurbanova occupies third place in the rankings.

The men's shot put F34 will be plenty of medal contenders. Ahmad Hindi from Jordan, reigning world champion and world record holder, has the best result of the year so far from the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix in February.

Morocco’s Azeddine Nouiri is the back-to-back Paralympic champion but has only the seventh place in the 2021 rankings. 

Colombia’s Mauricio Valencia set the second-best result of the year also at the Dubai GP and is likely to pose the biggest threat for Hindi in Tokyo. Valencia has three bronze medals in major Para athletics events, at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, London 2017 and Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Abdulrahman Abdulqadir Fiqi, the first athlete representing Qatar to win a medal in any sport at the Paralympic Games, is another podium candidate as the Rio 2016 silver medallist and London 2017 world champion.

Women’s shot put F40 could be one of the most exciting finals on day nine. Poland’s Renata Sliwinska is the world record holder and a two-time European champion. She is the leading shot putter in 2021 with the result set at the Bydgoszcz 2021 European Championships. She finished second at the last two World Championships (London 2017 and Dubai 2019).

Raja Jebali from Tunisia is in second place in the rankings this year. She is the reigning world champion from Dubai 2019 and a bronze medallist from London 2017 Worlds.

Her compatriot Rima Abdelli is sitting in fourth place of this year’s rankings. She won the London 2017 Worlds and took a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Lauritta Onye from Nigeria is in front of Abdelli in the rankings with the result set at the Nottwil Grand Prix. She is also one of the contenders to win a medal in Tokyo as the reigning Paralympic champion and the world champion from Doha 2015 World Championships. Onye won a bronze medal at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Lara Baars from the Netherlands is the last, but not the least among the medal hopefuls. She won a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and two silver medals at the Berlin 2018 and Bydgoszcz 2021 Europeans.

The women’s 800m T34 will be the first track final of the day and set to be a three-way battle for gold between Hannah Cockroft, Kare Adenegan, and Alexa Halko.

Great Britain’s Cockroft has been the star of the event for the last seven years. She is the defending Paralympic champion, world record holder, three-time world champion and two-time European champion. Cockroft won her first major title at the Swansea 2014 European Championships.

She is first in the rankings in 2021 with a time set at a competition in Switzerland in May.

Her compatriot Adenegan is a bronze medallist from Rio 2016 and silver at the Dubai 2019 Worlds finishing behind Cockroft. She also has bronze medals from the Doha 2015 and London 2017 Worlds.

USA’s Alexa Halko has been battling for the podium with the two British wheelchair racer in the last six years. She took silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Doha 2015 and London 2017 Worlds. Halko’s finished with a bronze at Dubai 2019. She set the third-fastest time this year at the US National Trials in June.

The United Arab Emirates will have one of their biggest medal hopefuls competing in the men's 800m T34. Mohamed Alhammadi is the reigning Paralympic and world champion. Between 2013 until 2017, Alhammadi won three silver medals at the World Championships.

Tunisia’s Walid Ktila took three gold medals in those World Championships but he lost out to Alhammadi on two occasions, settling for silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and Dubai 2019 Worlds. Ktila is the fastest wheelchair racer this year with a time set in Switzerland in May.

Besides Alhammadi and Ktila, there are two more names to watch out for in the men’s final. Australia’s Rheed McCracken is the bronze medallist from Rio 2016 Paralympics, while China’s Yang Wang won bronze at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Watch out for the women’s 400m T13

The USA’s Isaac Jean-Paul is the main favourite to gold in the men’s long jump T13. He is leading the rankings in 2021 with a result set at a competition in California in April. Jean-Paul won bronze at the London 2017 Worlds and a silver medal at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Spain’s Ivan Jose Cano Blanco finished third at the Dubai 2019 Worlds. He has a gold medal from the Berlin 2018 Euros and silver at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros in June. He set the third-best result of the year in Poland.

Bydgoszcz 2021 European champion Zak Skinner from Great Britain has the second-best result in 2021.

The women’s 400m T13 will most certainly be one of the highlights of the morning session. Spain’s Adiaratou Iglesias is coming to Tokyo as the fastest woman this year and the reigning European champion from Bydgoszcz.

Ukraine’s Leilia Adzhametova set the second-fastest time in 2021 at the same competition and took silver. She is the most experienced athlete in the race with a bronze from the Rio 2016 Games and gold at the London 2017 Worlds. Adzhametova won bronze at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Brazil’s Rayane Soares Da Silva is the reigning world champion from Dubai. She set the fifth-fastest time of the year at the National Trials in Sao Paulo in June.

Nantenin Keita from France is the defending champion from Rio 2016 Paralympics but had not been on the podium for five years until the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros. She won bronze in Poland.

Keita will be hoping for a fourth Paralympic medal as she also took golds at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Ukraine’s Ihor Tsvietov is the favourite to gold in the men’s 200m T35. He is the fastest man in 2021 and a world record holder. The 27-year-old will compete in Tokyo as the defending Paralympic champion, back-to-back world champion and reigning European champion.

RPC’s Dmitrii Safronov is the second-fastest in 2021. He set his season-best at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros where he won silver - same result from the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Argentina’s Hernan Barreto and Brazil’s Fabio Bordignon have the best CVs alongside the Ukrainian and RPC sprinters.

Barreto is a two-time Paralympic bronze medallist and the Lima 2019 Para Pan American Games champion,.

Bordignon had a similar amount of success in recent years. He won silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics with two bronze medals from London 2017 Worlds and Lima 2019 Para Pan Am Games.

Another 200m race will follow in the men’s T37 class. RPC’s Andrei Vdovin is the world record holder and the reigning world and European champion. He is the fourth-fastest this year with the time set at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros.

South Africa’s Charl Du Toit will be competing in Tokyo as the world champion from London 2017.

USA’s Nick Mayhugh is the ranking leader in 2021 with a performance from the US National Trials in June. Brazil’s Christian Luiz Da Costa and Ricardo Gomes sit in second and third, respectively with times set at the National Trials in Sao Paulo.

Another Brazilian, Vitor Antonio de Jesus will be a threat for Vdovin as the silver medallist from the last Worlds in Dubai 2019.

The men’s 100m T36 will close the morning session on 4 September. Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi from Malaysia is the reigning Paralympic champion and the world champion from Doha 2015 Worlds. He won silver at the London 2017 Worlds and bronze at the Dubai 2019.

Australia’s James Turner is the man to beat at the moment in the men’s 100m T36. He is the world record holder and the reigning world champion from Dubai. Turner set the fastest time of the year in March at a competition in Canberra.

Yifei Yang from China was second at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. A year later he won the World Championships title in London and took another silver at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Brazil’s Rodrigo Parreira has a bronze medal from the Rio 2016 Paralympics to his name. He won bronze at the London 2017 Worlds and most recently finished third at the Lima 2019 Para Pan Am Games.

RPC’s Evgenii Shvetsov is another one to watch in Tokyo. He is going to compete as the third-fastest sprinter in 2021 with a time set at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros where he won gold.

Afternoon session

Men’s long jump T20 will open up the afternoon programme at the National Olympic Stadium. Malaysia’s Abdul Latif Romly is the world record holder and the reigning Paralympic champion from Rio 2016.

He won also has two World Championships titles (Doha 2015 and London 2017) and two Asian Para Games titles (Incheon 2014 and Jakarta 2018) in his collection. But he lost his title in 2019 taking silver at the Dubai Worlds behind Dutch jumper Ranki Oberoi. The Dutch will also been in action in Tokyo. 

Croatia’s Zoran Talic is coming to Tokyo as the reigning European champion from Bydgoszcz where he set the second-best time of the year. He defeated Greece's Athanasios Prodromou who won silver and later in the year set the best result in 2021 at a competition in Thessaloniki.

The 31-year-old Talic from Rijeka is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist (London 2012 and Rio 2016) and three-time World Championships silver medallist from 2013 until 2017. He also has four European gold medals to his name, including Bydgoszcz 2021.

Next up will be the men’s shot put F33 with two former Paralympic champions in action. Germany’s Daniel Scheil won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, while Algeria’s Kamil Kardjena triumphed in London 2012 and Beijing 2008.

Scheil is the silver medallist from the Doha 2015 Worlds and a bronze medallist from the London 2017 Worlds. He won silver at the Grosseto 2016 European Championships.

Kardjena won silver at Rio 2016 to add to his previous two Paralympic gold. He is the world champion from London 2017 Worlds and a silver medallist from Dubai 2019.

RPC’s Aleksandr Khrupin is the reigning world champion as well as the gold medallist from the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros. He set the second-best result of the year.

The highest-ranked athlete in 2021 is Morocco’s Zakariae Derhem with his performance at the Tunis Grand Prix in March.

Asians rule in the javelin throw

Kovan Abdulraheem from Iraq is the man to beat in the men’s javelin throw F41. He is the reigning Paralympic champion and has two World Championships medals to his name. Abdulraheem won silver at the Doha Worlds and a bronze medal at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

China’s Pengxiang Sun won bronze at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and triumphed at the last three World Championships in Doha, London, and Dubai.

Another Iraqi athlete, Wildan Nukhailawi won silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. He finished second behind Sun at the London 2017 and Dubai 2019 Worlds.

The ranking leader in 2021 however is India’s Navdeep Navdeep with a result set at the Dubai Grand Prix.

The men’s 1500m T38 will be the first track final in the afternoon session. Canada’s Nate Riech is the favourite to gold in a competition packed with international stars. He is the world record holder and the reigning world champion. Reich also set the fastest time of the year at a competition in Portland in May.

Australia’s Deon Kenzie sits in second place in the rankings. He is the silver medallist from Rio 2016 Paralympics, world champion from London 2017 Worlds, and a three-time World Championships bronze medallist (Lyon 2013, Doha 2015, and Dubai 2019).

Redouane Hennouni-Bouzidi from France is the third-fastest runner in 2021 with a time set at Bydgoszcz 2021 where he defended his European gold from Berlin 2018.

His compatriot Louis Radius won bronze at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and two Worlds silver medals at Doha 2015 and London 2017. His last international success came in 2018 when he won silver at the European Championships in Berlin.

Algeria's Abdelkrim Krai is another medal contender as the silver medallist from the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

The women’s 200m T11 will be the first women’s event of the evening with Great Britain’s Libby Clegg in the leading role. She is the defending Paralympic champion and the reigning European champion from Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros. She set the fourth-fastest time of the year in Poland.

Cuiqing Liu from China is the world record holder and the reigning world champion from Dubai 2019 Worlds. She won silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and another silver at the London 2017 Worlds.

Brazil’s Thalita Simplicio won silver at the Dubai 2019 Worlds behind Liu. She is the fastest woman in 2021 with the time set at the National Trials in Sao Paulo.

Another women’s event will follow, the discus F38. China’s Na Mi is the favourite to gold as a two-time Paralympic champion from Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016. She has three World Championships titles from Doha 2015, London 2017 and Dubai 2019.

Renee Danielle Foessel from Canada is leading the ranks in 2021. Her only international medal so far came in Dubai at the World Championships where she finished third.

Cuba’s Omara Durand will try to win her third medal in Tokyo in the women’s 200m T12. She is the world record holder and reigning Paralympic champion from Rio 2016. Durand is a three-time world champion (Doha 2015, London 2017, and Dubai 2019) and two-time Parapan Am Games gold medallist in the race (Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019).

The Cuban legend set the fastest time in 2021 at the Tunis Grand Prix in April. Germany’s Katrin Mueller Rottgardt is in second place with a time set at another Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland in May.

Ukraine’s Oksana Boturchuk is another name to watch out for in Tokyo. She is the silver medallist from the Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016 Paralympics. Boturchuk won the Berlin 2018 Euros, as well as a silver medal at the Doha 2015 Worlds and bronze at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

The last field event in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be the men’s shot put F63. Great Britain’s Aled Davies is the reigning world champion and back-to-back European champion.

Davies is followed by Luxembourg’s Tom Habscheid. He is the world record holder and took silver behind Davies at the Berlin 2018 Euros, Dubai 2019 Worlds and Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros.

Iran’s Sajad Mohammadian may pose a threat for Davies and Habscheid as the bronze medallist from Dubai 2019.

Track stars close the action on day nine

Track events will close the competition programme on day nine. USA’s Deja Young will be defending her Paralympic title in the women’s 200m T47. She is also back-to-back world champion and Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games gold medallist.

Young is the fourth-fastest sprinter this year with her compatriot Brittni Mason in the first place. Saska Sokolov from Serbia is in second place, while Poland’s Alicja Jeromin holds onto the third position in 2021.

Jeromin is the silver medallist from Rio 2016 Paralympics. She won gold at the Grosseto 2016 Euros and two silver medals at the Berlin 2018 and Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros.

Other medal candidates are South Africa’s Anrune Wejers, silver medallist at the London 2017 and Dubai 2019 Worlds; Colombia's Lisbeli Andrade - bronze at Dubai 2019 -; and China's Lu Li, bronze in London four years ago.

Jarryd Wallace and Jonathan Gore from the USA have set the benchmark in the men’s 200m T64 this year. Wallace is in first place with Gore in second in the rankings in 2021. They have both set their fastest times at the US National Trials in Minneapolis in June.

Germany’s Felix Streng is the Berlin 2018 Euros gold medallist, while Dutch Para athlete Levi Vloet achieved the same in Bydgoszcz in June. Greece’s Michail Seitis is the bronze medallist from Bydgoszcz and silver medallist from the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Next up is the women’s 400m T38 with Hungary's Luca Ekler looking for a gold medal in her Paralympic debut. She is the world record holder and reigning European champion. She set the new world record at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros.

Kadeena Cox from Great Britain is the defending Paralympic champion, London 2017 Worlds winner, and silver medallist from the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

RPC’s Margarita Goncharova won the title in Dubai, but had to settle for silver at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros. Goncharova is the second-fastest woman this year.

Tunisia’s Sonia Mansour is another one to watch in the women’s 400m T38 as the bronze medallist from the last World Championships in Dubai.

Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira will finish his journey at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the men’s 400m T47 final. He is the reigning world and Parapan Am Games champion, as well as the silver medallist from the Rio Paralympics.

He set the season-best time at the National Trials in Sao Paulo in June. His compatriot Thomaz de Moraes is in second place with a time set at the same competition.

Moraes won the silver medal at the Dubai 2019 Worlds with Morocco’s Ayoub Sadni finishing in third place. Sadni is third in the rankings this year as well.

The last track event at the National Olympic Stadium will mark the Paralympic debut of a star in the making. Italy's Ambra Sabatini made her international debut this year in the women’s 100m T63 breaking the world record at the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix in February.

Italy will be eyeing a complete podium sweep with Martina Caironi and Monica Contrafatto. Paralympic champion Caironi is the second-fastest woman in 2021 and a back-to-back European champion from Berlin and Bydgoszcz.

Contrafatto is the Rio 2016 bronze medallist. She has another silver in her collection from Dubai 2019 Worlds. Reigning world champion Karisma Evi Tiarani from Indonesia will try to stop the Italian.

Complete schedule, record, results and all medallists from the Para athletics competition at Tokyo 2020 will be available on Paralympic.org.