UAE Paralympian Hammadi eyes more medal success

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  • Mohammed Hammadi says he’s hoping to end his campaign with another medal as he competes in the 100m-T34 competition today – but revealed his preparation for the Games was far from ideal.

    The Sharjah-native sprinter is the UAE’s best chance of one more medal in London after capturing a silver in the 200m earlier this week. But he said he was forced to part with his coach Bu Alam only a month before the Games started.

    “I had so many bad circumstances before coming to the boot camp here in London before the Paralympics,” Hammadi told Sport360°. “I didn’t get the preparation or training that I needed and that was the fault of the coach.

    “My club put everything in his hands and he was not up to the task so I changed coaches in the final month before the Games.”

    Hammadi, 27, however, is thankful his new coach managed to get him as ready as possible and is thrilled to have captured a silver with such little preparation. He added: “I have to say the Thai coach I am with now is fantastic and we managed to get the silver together.

    "Now I don’t want to leave without another medal and, inshallah, I won’t leave empty-handed.”

    While the weight of expectation may rest on his shoulders, Hammadi insists he feels no pressure and a visit from Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, boosted the spirits of the entire UAE delegation at the Games.

    “Since I won the medal there’s been nothing but happiness and encouragement,” he added. “I feel no pressure whatsoe-ver. Meeting Sheikh Sultan at the village has given me so much confidence and I’m ready.”

    Hammadi has been drawn in heat one in the 100m-T34 competition which takes place at 14:10 (UAE time) and will race alongside Tunisian Walid Ktila, who took the gold medal off him in the 200m.

    Meanwhile, Mohammed Bani Hashem, was unable to get through the heats of the 200m-T53 competition as he finished sixth in his heat clocking a seasonal best of 28.39s.

    Mohammad Almehairi and Ahmed Alhousani finished 16th and 17th respectively in the discus throw-F32/33/34 class.

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