Dubai 2019: Spectacular Saturday sees seven world records

Dubai 2019 had already seen a world record set on Saturday morning – New Zealand’s Lisa Adams in the women’s shot put F37. But the evening session added another six to a spectacular day three at the World Para Athletics Championships.

It started in alphabetical order with Australia and right in the first event of the evening session. Nineteen-year-old Corey Anderson established a new record in his first throw in the men’s javelin F38 final (56.28). 

And he did it with a twisted ankle.

“I rolled my ankle in the warm up, but still managed to throw a world record. I just kept mentally focused on what my job is, the hard work I have done, and this is my reward,” Anderson said.

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Doroshenko took silver with 54.87 followed by South Africa’s Reinhardt Hamman took bronze (54.63) – both with new continental records.

The next world record of the day came in the men’s 400m T12 with Abdeslam Hili (47.89) in a one-two Moroccan podium finish with Mahdi Afri (47.89). Oguz Akbulut from Turkey (48.99) finished third.

The third record of the evening was Ukrainian. Ihor Tsvietov won the men’s 200m T35 (23.04) with silver and bronze for Russia, through former record holder Dmitrii Safronov (23.93) and Artem Kalashian (24.24), respectively.

Algeria had already celebrated the first gold medal at Dubai 2019 in the morning. Nassima Saifi doubled that in the women’s discus throw F57 with a new world record (35.76). China got silver with Mian Xu (31.49) and another Algerian medal with Safia Djelal’s bronze (31.05). 

Another record fell in the men’s 400m T37 as Russia’s Andrei Vdovin won the race in 59.45. It was a Russian one-two finish with Chermen Kobesov (50.47) and bronze to South Africa’s Charl Du Toit (50.53).

China top medals table

Chinese wheelchair racer Yiting Shi had already establish a new world record in the women’s 200m T36 in the heats in the morning (28.54). She came back in the evening to clinch gold and beat her own mark (28.21). 

New Zealand’s Danielle Aitchison finished second (29.86) and Argentina’s Paralympic star Yanina Martinez third (30.31).

Lihong Zou gave China another gold on Saturday in the women’s 800m T54 (1:48.26) to keep her country on top of the medals table. 

Brazil are second with four gold medals so far. Rio 2016 and London 2017 100m T47 champion Petrucio Ferreira took his first major international victory in the 400m T47 (47.87), in a one-two Brazilian finish with Thomaz Ruan de Moraes. 

Tunisia’s Walid Ktila took his 13th World Championships gold with his victory in the men’s 400m T34 (50.54). UAE’s Mohamed Alhammadi finished second giving the hosts their first medal at the 2019 World Championships.

Another multi-Paralympic and world champion to celebrate on Saturday was Cuba’s Omara Durand. The T12 sprinter won the women’s 400m in 52.85 to take her ninth world title. 

There was more gold to Ukraine in the men’s shot put F20 through Maksym Koval (17.11).

First gold for Tokyo 2020 hosts

Ecuador, Hungary, Japan, Namibia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand and USA celebrated their first victories in Dubai on day three.

For the host of the next Paralympic Games, the gold came with Tomoki Sato in the men’s 400m T52 (59.25). While Pongsakorn Paeyo put Thailand on top of the podium in the men’s 400m T53 (48.08).

Hungary’s Luca Ekler won the women’s long jump T38 (5.31). Johannes Nambala took Namibia’s gold in the men’s 400m T13 (48.73).

Dutch sprinter Ronald Hertog finished first in the men’s 200m T64 (22.20) and Catherine Debrunner was responsible for the first Swiss gold (56.74).

Just six days after he won the New York City Marathon, USA’s wheelchair racing star Daniel Romanchuk made his debut in Dubai and bagged a gold in the men’s 800m T54 (1:32.81).

Ecuador’s 16-year-old jumper Kiara Rodriguez took the final gold medal of the day in the women’s long jump T47 (5.52).

Complete results and records from Dubai 2019 can be found on the Dubai 2019 microsite.

Action continues in Dubai on Sunday and you can follow the competition live on World Para Athletics website, Facebook and Twitter pages.