Indian para-athletes gunning to make a mark in Fazza International Championships

Indian Paralympian Dharambir will lead a young 29-member Indian side at the 13th Fazza International Championships - Dubai 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix. The event will take place in Dubai from March 21.

The Fazza International Championships is an important tournament for athletes as they vie to achieve the Minimum Qualification Standard for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Para Games.

Among Indians, Dharambir will compete in men’s discus throw and club throw F51 events while APG bronze medallist Mohammed Yasser will contest the men’s shot put F46). Promising para-athletes Devender Kumar (men’s discus throw F44), Nimisha Suresh Chakkungalparambil (women’s long jump F46) and Pranav Prasad (men’s 100m, 200m T64) will also participate in the event.

All the para-athletes are former gold medallists at the Championships.

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Para Athletics coach Manju Nath, who is accompanying the team in Dubai, said the Indian team is gunning to make their mark in the championship.

"We have a balanced team with many new faces ready to make a mark. The team is confident and eager to start their campaign. We also have big gold medal hopes from several players this time," he said.

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Top athletes in action at the Fazza International Championships

Several top names will be competing at the Championships. Prime among them is Switzerland’s wheelchair racing legend in T54 Marcel Hug, a six-time Paralympic and nine-time world champion. Thailand's Paeyo Pongsakorn, a three-time gold medallist in Tokyo 2020 in the T53 wheelchair races, will also be present.

UAE's Paralympic star Mohammed Hammadi (men's wheelchair 800m T34) will be in action as well.

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In the women's events, Australia’s Paralympic star Angela Ballard will be the favorite to win the women's wheelchair races. Indonesia's Asian Para Games gold medallist sprinters Putri Aulia and Karisma Evi Tiarani will be the ones to watch in the women’s 100m races.

The Fazza International Championships will kick off the World Para Athletics’ Grand Prix season and will see around 500 para-athletes from 43 nations in action. The event will be hosted under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.

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