Gharbi and Tlili show great form in Dubai

The Tunisian duo of Yassine Gharbo and Raoua Tlili demonstrated great form on Wednesday (14 March), the second day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

Gharbi, 27, who claimed his first global titles last year, winning both the 200m and 400m T54 at London 2017, defeated Marcl Hug for the third time in two days.

Having seen off stiff competition over 200m and 800m on Tuesday, this time Gharbi claimed victory over 400m, clocking 47.21. Hug, who won three distance golds at London 2017, finished second in 49.39 with Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki (49.65) third.

Gharbi’s teammate Raoua Tlili added to Tunisian celebrations as she claimed gold in the javelin F37/40/41 to add to the discus title she won 24 hours earlier.

The multiple world and Paralympic champion, who competes in the F41 class, managed 25.13m in the second round, dominating the field once again.

Algeria’s Paralympic and world shot put F33 champion Asmahane Boudjadar (6.35m) also continued her winning ways from day one, adding shot put F32/33/53 gold to her javelin success with a massive fifth round throw, just 2cm off the world record mark.

It was two wins in two days for India’s world javelin F46 champion Sundar Singh Gurjar (40.18m) as well – he took gold in the discus F46.

Gurjar’s teammate Neeraj Yadav – winner of the shot put F55 on Tuesday – came out on top in the discus F55 thanks to his final round throw of 33.69m, while Iran’s Paralympic silver medallist Hamed Amiri also completed a discus and shot put double, launching the discus 29.76m with his final throw of the day to win the F54 event.

Iraq’s F40 thrower Ahmed Naas went one better than his silver medal on Tuesday with gold in the javelin F40/41/42/64. The 26-year-old, who won Paralympic silver back in 2012, failed to register a mark with his first two throws but from then on improved each round, culminating with a final round 36.89m.

Germany’s Paralympic shot put F33 champion Daniel Scheil (22.36m) was the clear winner in the javelin F33/34 – albeit more than five metres short of his world record set in 2015.

Algeria’s Paralympic bronze medallist Nadia Medjmedj (20.20m) had to settle for second place in the women’s javelin F55/56/57 after leading until the final round, when Germany’s former Paralympic and world champion Martina Willing unleashed a massive 20.28m throw to steal the top spot.

Latvia’s four-time Paralympic medallist and F35 Para athlete Edgars Bergs (14.09m) broke the 14-metre mark with his final-round throw in the men’s shot put F35/36/38 to take gold ahead of Germany’s F36 Paralympic and world champion, Sebastian Dietz (13.13m).

Marian Kureja’s winning throw of 31.00m in the men’s club throw F51 would have secured him silver at last year’s World Championships – he finished fourth in London. In this form the Slovakian, who won bronze at Rio 2016, could be a real contender for gold at August’s European Championships.

There was double delight for Greece as Konstantinos Tzounis (9.21m) took gold in the men’s shot put F56; his teammate Anastasios Petropoulos (T36) (4.95m) won the long jump T20/36/37.

Great Britain notched up three wins in the field thanks to Taz Nicholls (42.51m) in the men’s discus F44, Vanessa Wallace (7.27m) in the women’s shot put F34, and F20 thrower Sabrina Fortune (10.81m) in the women’s shot put F11/13/20.

Just three centimetres separated the top two competitors in the men’s shot put F37 - Kuwaiti Dhari Buti (11.88m) took the win ahead of Egypt’s Mohamed Ramadan (11.85m).

Kazakhstan’s Pavel Sidorchuk (10.85m) won the shot put F57; Czech Frantisek Serbus (15.42m) won the discus F32.

The 400m was the sole event out on the track on the second day of competition at the Dubai Club for the Disabled.

Swiss wheelchair racer Bojan Mitic (57.37) claimed his first victory in Dubai with a win in the 400m T33/34 – Tunisia’s 12-time world champion Walid Ktila - victorious over 200m and 800m on Tuesday - was disqualified after a false start.

The men’s T53 race was won by Kuwait’s former Paralympic champion Hamad Aladwani (53.29) – his second win of the week so far, while Turkey’s 400m T12 world bronze medallist Oguz Akbulut (51.23) also notched up another victory 24 hours after winning the 800m. His compatriot Hakan Cira (53.05) was second with Namibia’s T11 sprinter Ananias Shikongo (53.84) third.

Malaysia’s Nasharuddin Mohd (49.58) set a new Asian T20 record in the timed heats of the men’s 400m T13/20; Iran’s T37 Para athlete Hashem Rastgarimobin (54.36) won the men’s T36/37/38 and Portugal’s Mario Trindade (1:07.49) won the T51/52 race.

India’s Sandeep Singh Singh (50.99) added to his 200m win on day one with victory over one lap in the F46/47 event. His teammate Anandan Gunasekaran (54.15) – who competes in the F64 class – finished just ahead of Saudi Arabia’s middle-distance star Nour Alsana (54.48) to take the win in the T44/62/63/64.

In the women’s 400m races there were wins for Japan’s T20 Para athlete Aimi Toyama (1:01.28) in the T11/13/20/38 and her teammate Kazumi Nakayama (1:01.38) in the T53/54.

The Dubai Grand Prix continues on Thursday (15 March). Full results can be found here