It’s not every day you interview a Paralympian returning from the Games with two medals from two races and find him so eager to get back on the track striving for more.
But then again Emirati sprinter Mohammed Hammadi is a far cry from being your regular athlete.
In 2003, he was encouraged by a neighbour of his to start training at the Thiqah Club for Handicapped in Sharjah and it wasn’t long before he won his first three gold medals at the 2006 GCC Championships in the UAE.
A year later, he made his mark on the international stage by claiming a gold and a bronze at the IWAS Junior World Games in Johannesburg and he did even better at the senior level, grabbing two golds and a silver at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand.
But that was never going to be enough for the 27-year-old. He won a silver in the 200m-T34 race at the London Paralympic Games and a bronze in the 100m-T34 to become the first Emirati in 12 years to win two medals at the same Paralympics.
But Hammadi admits that London left a bittersweet feeling in his gut. “I wish I could turn back the time and rewind back a few days so I can do better,” Hammadi told Sport360° upon his arrival to Dubai from London.
“I know that at the end of the day it’s a historical achievement. An Emirati winning two medals at the same Paralympics does not happen every day. But if I say that I’m satisfied I’d be lying because I’m not.
“Since the day I entered sports I’ve been thinking about gold. At the World Championships, thank God I managed to do it.
"At the Paralympics I had gone through some difficult circumstances five months before the Games. But the Federation stood behind me and helped me handle the situation one month before the Paralympics started. And thank God with the help of them and my new Thai coach Saboor, we managed to overcome these challenges and problems.”
Far from plain sailing
The problems he is referring to involve his former coach Bu Alam who Hammadi revealed was not up for the task to prepare him for a competition as big and important as the Games.
He parted ways with him only a month before the Paralympics at a time where athletes should be wrapping up their preparation, not starting them with a new coach.
But Hammadi and his new coach from Thailand, Saboor, pulled off the impossible and he prefers to celebrate his success now rather than talk about his mishaps with Bu Alam. “Right now it’s time to celebrate, so it’s not the right time to discuss the details,” says Hammadi.
The UAE Paralympic delegation had relocated to London several weeks before the Games had started and Hammadi like many of them was there before the start of Ramadan and went through several gruelling weeks before he earning his two medals.
He says: “Of course, I went through some pretty exhausting times over there. At the Paralympics, you’re constantly running around, thinking about your race. But thank God I achieved what I have achieved and I managed to make my whole country happy and there are many more competitions to come.
“An athlete who is going there to compete for a medal spends several days before his race calculating every single move he can make and what he is going to do in the race.
Of course an audience of over 80,000 people, besides the massive stadium, the roaring crowds, the tests and everything, it’s a whole different world there. But thankfully, I overcame all that and won two medals.”
While many athletes spend their whole lives dreaming of a Paralympic medal, for Hammadi, his T-34 class was only accredited by the International Paralympic Committee in 2010 and he says he only seriously considered the Games after his success at the World Championships in 2011.
“I set my sights on gold in London the moment I finished the World Championships. A few months after, the T-34 became accredited by the Paralympic Committee in 2010.
"I was determined to get the gold in the World Championships that followed and I was very optimistic that I was going to do it. And I did. That’s why it’s very frustrating for me not to achieve the same in the Paralympics, but I will not stop until I get it.”
The Paralympians received a warm welcome at the Dubai airport on their return from scores of family, friends and sports officials and Hammadi explained that the support has been great, but hopes it can increase with the successful results achieved by himself and his fellow athletes.
He emphasises the financial support needed by the UAE Disabled Sports Federation and says it’s the only way the athletes can continue to excel. “There is support but we wish it can be more,” says Hammadi. “This is the first time we’ve had sponsorship, that makes our life much easier.
"If you can tell, we did our best and achieved results and I wish this support continues to be given to the Federation, so they can in turn help us.”
Getting personal with Hammadi…
Idol Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He is a huge inspiration to me. We were lucky that he was with us in London before the Games because he was about to compete in the World Championships there and thankfully he won the gold. That was a great motivation for me.
Hobbies Most of my hobbies all revolve around sports but I also love to travel and see new places.
Favourite destination Switzerland.
Job Works in the Human Resources department of the Sharjah Television Station.
Best achievement The gold medals at the World Championships and the two medals at the Paralympics because those kind of achievements are unprecedented where I come from.
Club Thiqah Club for the Handicapped in Sharjah.
* For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.
