Emirati Noura Alketbi sets world record at Fazza Athletics - IPC Grand Prix Dubai

Emirati athlete Noura Alktebi produced a world record breaking performance on day three of the 7th Fazza International Athletics Champonships in Dubai.

Noura of Al Ain Club for the Disabled set a new Asian and world record in the 100 metre wheelchair women T32 clocking 37.37 seconds at the Dubai Police Officers Club on Tuesday.

Four world records were broken by regional athletes and several European, Asian and African records set at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.

The Fazza International Athletics - IPC Grand Prix Dubai is organized jointly by the Dubai Club for the Disabled and the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.

Saudi Arabia's Hani Alnakhli won gold in the discus wheelchair men F33 with a world record throw of 28.76 metres.

Kovan Abdulraheem of Iraq set a new world record in the javelin men F41 by throwing a distance of 42.54 metres (963 points).

Tunisia's Raoua Tlili set the world record in the discus women final F41 when she won gold throwing a distance of 28.98 metres (884 points).

The Fazza International Athletics - IPC Grand Prix Dubai is a qualification event for the IPC World Championships which will be held in Doha, Qatar this year and the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.

The 2015 edition is an IPC Athletics Grand Prix competition with Dubai hosting only the third IPC Athletics Grand Prix after the inaugural edition was also held in the UAE last year.

It is the first of nine IPC Athletics Grand Prix this year, culminating in the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar in October.

"It is a proud moment for UAE and Dubai to host this big event. We are very proud to provide our guests with best services and congratulate every one taking part in hosting an event of this magnitude. It reflects the experience we have got in hosting any sporting event successfully," said Ibrahim Abdul Malik Mohammed, Secretary-General of the General Authority for Youth & Sports Welfare.

"We hope that more than one athlete could qualify for the Paralympic Games in Rio (de Janeiro) next year," he added.

UAE athletes continue to make their mark in the event with Mariam Matroushi of Khorfakkan club winning gold in discus women F46 throwing a distance of 26.49m (594 points).

There were bronze medals for Afra Saleh of Dubai Club for the Disabled in club 397g women F32 by throwing a distance of 17.26m (614 points), Thuraya Alzaabi in discus wheelchair women F34 throwing 13.63m and Rashed Ahmed Zeyoudi of Khorfakkan club in the javelin wheelchair men F56 hurling it a distance of 20.69m (413 points).

A record number of 490 athletes from 48 countries are competing in the season opening event with hosts UAE fielding nearly 150 participants drawn from several clubs around the country.

Para-athletes from Australia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Brazil, Denmark, Sweden, Iraq, Libya, Cameroon, Germany, Morocco, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Greece, Uzbekistan , Iran, Ireland, Britain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Thailand, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa, Kuwait, Russia, Slovakia, Syria, Switzerland, France, Palestine, Finland, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, the Netherlands and India are vying for glory.

Paralympic long jump champion Hilton Keith Langenhoven from South Africa is here to get in the groove ahead of the World Championships in Qatar.

"I would say all this is part of preparation for the world championship in Qatar. We use this competition to come and get experience," said South Africa's solitary athlete who won three gold medals in the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 and silver in the 400 in London 2012.

"Hopefully all this can add up to Qatar later where I defend my long jump title," said
31 year-old Langenhoven who aims to retire after competing in his fourth Paralympic Games in Brazil next year.

Five-time world champion Marcel Hug was pleased with his performance after winning the 5000m wheelchair men time-race T54 clocking 11:18.38 minutes.

"This is my first competition this year. I want to have a good start and participate in good competitions. The track is not really fast so times are not really fast. But I'm really satisfied with my performance," said the 29 year-old Swiss ‘Silver Bullet’ whose main aim is to win gold at the Rio Paralympics.

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