Qatar's Ali Arshad delivered the race of his life at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, clocking a personal best of 15.20 seconds in the men's 100m T34 heats at Stade de France to book his place in the final.
Ali Arshad Clocks Personal Best at Paris 2024
The 20-year-old wheelchair racer finished third in his heat, behind Chaiwat Rattana of Thailand (14.81 seconds) and Walid Ktila of Tunisia (15.09 seconds). Despite finishing third, Arshad's performance was enough to advance him to the 100m T34 final, where he will represent Qatar with a renewed sense of confidence.
Speaking after the race, Arshad said: "I am very happy with my personal best time and this performance has given me a huge morale boost before the final." The young athlete has made no secret of his ambition — winning a medal for Qatar remains his primary goal.
Qatar Delegation Backs Arshad Ahead of Final
Dr. Hassan Al Ansari, head of Qatar's delegation at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, praised Arshad's effort and highlighted the dedication behind the result. "We are happy with Ali Arshad's personal best as we see all the hard work yielding a positive result," Dr. Al Ansari said. "He will enter the final with sheer confidence and we believe he has a good chance of winning a medal in the tough final."
Qatar's Paralympic Medal History
Qatar has won three Paralympic medals to date. Abdulrahman Abdulqadir claimed a silver at Rio 2016 and a bronze at Tokyo 2020, while Sara Masud took a silver at Rio 2016. Arshad is chasing a first medal of his own and is also entered in the 800m T34 event, which begins on Friday.
Sara Masud Eyes Gold in Shot Put
On the women's side, Sara Masud is set to compete in the shot put event, with her campaign beginning on Thursday. Masud is targeting her first Paralympic gold medal and arrives in Paris as one of Qatar's leading medal hopes.
