Dubai 2016: Day four preview

Four of China’s Paralympic stars go for gold on the fourth day of competition at the IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships in Dubai, UAE, hoping to add to their international success in a pivotal year of para-athletics.

China’s reigning Paralympic and world champion Liangmin Zhang leads the field in the women’s discus throw F11/12 on Thursday (10 March). The 30-year-old won double gold at the Asian Para Games in Incheon, South Korea, two years ago and holds the Asian record in the discus F11.

Zhen Zhang lines up in the men’s 1,500m T11 at the Dubai Police Officer’s Club stadium; the Asian record that he set on his way to gold at the Beijing Games in 2008 still stands.

China’s Juntingxian Jia steps on the track in the women’s 100m T11. The 28-year-old has plenty of world class international experience behind her. She won Paralympic long jump F11/12 silver and 200m T11 bronze at London 2012, and will hope further success comes her way.

Her compatriot Daqing Zhu will no doubt have similar expectations in the women’s 100m T12. The London 2012 Paralympic bronze medallist returns to major competition after the birth of her daughter last year.

The UAE’s own star para-athlete Mohamed Hammadi returns to the track for the men’s 400m T34. It would be unwise to bet against the world bronze medallist picking up his third gold medal of the Asia-Oceania Championships. Hammadi has already cruised to victory in the 200m and 800m T34 this week and still has the 100m to go on Friday (11 March).

Saudia Arabia’s Hani Alnakhli will also be hoping to complete a hat trick of gold medals as he takes the field once more, having already won gold in the discus throw on Monday, then the javelin title on Tuesday.

Iran’s Medhi Alizadeh and the UAE’s Ahmed Alhousani, who won javelin silver and discus bronze respectively behind Alnakhli this week, are amongst those hoping to get the better of the double Asian Para Games champion.

India’s Incheon 2014 silver medallist Malik Deepa takes on the women’s javelin F53/54, while her compatriot Devendra, Asia-Oceania champion in the javelin on Tuesday, takes on the discus throw F46.

Vietnam’s Be Hau Nguyen is also aiming for multiple medal success in the Middle East. The 28-year-old world bronze medallist takes on the discus F54-56 on Thursday, having already notched up one gold medal in the shot put this week. Keep an eye out for Asian Para Games silver medallist Parviz Golpashandhagh of Iran.

The men’s javelin throw F57 line-up includes three finalists from the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships: Thailand’s Sakchai Yimbanchang, Qatar’s Nasser Saed Al-Sahoti and Vietnam’s Ngoc Hung Cao. Yimbanchang was the best of the trio in Doha 2015.

More than 220 athletes from 24 countries will take part in the first ever IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships, which runs until 12 March.

A livestream is available via the Dubai 2016 website and live results are also available online.