Unheralded Thekra Alkaabi of UAE shatters world record in 100m three-wheeled frame running

New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) Unheralded Thekra Alkaabi of United Arab Emirates (UAE) shattered the world record in the relatively new women's 100m T71 frame running event on the opening day of the World Para Athletics Championships here on Saturday.

Alkaabi clocked 19.89 seconds to set the record and win the gold in the event in which athletes use a three-wheeled running frame, with a saddle, body support and most notably, no pedals.

The 23-year-old bettered the earlier world record of 20.08 seconds which was in the name of Lithuania's Bella Morkus set in July this year. On Saturday, Morkus took the silver with a time of 21.53 seconds while Miriam Dominikowska of Poland won the bronze in 23.56 seconds.

Alkaabi's earlier personal best in women's 100m T71 was 23.58 seconds. She had won a bronze in F32 club throw event in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

T71 is for frame runner track athletes who have movement highly affected in the trunk and legs.

Frame running, previously known as Race Running, is an adaptive athletic discipline, primarily for people with severe coordination and balance impairments such as cerebral palsy. The wheeled frame enables the legs to propel the athlete while helping to aid balance.

The frame running events of T71 and T72 classifications were introduced as official track disciplines by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 2017. But it was not included in the roster of both the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Paralympics.

The 2023 and 2024 editions of World Para Athletics Championships did not have T71 event but both had T72 class.

T72 classification is for frame runner track athletes who have movement and coordination moderately affected in the trunk and legs.

The gold in the women's long jump T37 was expectedly won by world record holder Chinese Wen Xiaoyan with a meet record distance of 5.32m. She bettered her own earlier meet record of 5.22m which she had set while winning gold in the 2019 edition of the championships.

She holds the world record of 5.45m which she had set during the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

Anais Angeline of Mauritius won the silver with 4.59m while Jaleen Roberts of USA was third with 4.53m.

T37 classification is meant for athletes with cerebral palsy affecting coordination.

In the women's shot F41 event, meant for short stature athletes, Ariza Buitrago Mayerli of Colombia stunned world record holder as well as multiple Paralympics and Para World Championships gold medallist Raoua Tlili of Tunisia to win the gold.

Mayerli sent the iron ball to a distance of 10.21m while Kubaro Khakimova of Uzbekistan took the silver with 10.17m. Tlili, who holds the world record of 10.55m, won the bronze with 9.96m.

Noelle Roorda of the Netherlands won her first world championships gold in women's javelin throw F46 with an effort of 43.74m while Shahinakhon Yigitalieva of Uzbekistan and Hollie Arnold of Great Britain took the silver and bronze with 41.97m and 41.94m respectively.

India's Bhavanaben Ajabaji Chaudhary finished eighth in the event with a 35.34m throw.

F46 classification is meant for athletes with moderately affected movement in one or both arms or the absence of limbs.

Meanwhile, defending champion Deepthi Jeevanji of India qualified for the final of the women's 400m T20 event with a season-best effort.

The 22-year-old from Telangana clocked 58.35 seconds to top the second heat of the opening round in the event meant for athletes with intellectual disabilities. PTI PDS PDS APA APA