Wednesday 24 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s first ever Paralympic medallist is hopeful of repeating his medal-winning accomplishments when he takes part in three international competitions next year.
Shot putter Mohammed Al Mashaykhi, who became the first ever Omani to win a medal at either the Olympic or Paralympic level, will take part in the West Asia Para Games in February 2022. After that, in August, he will compete at the World Championships, followed by the Asian Para Games in October 2022.
“Simply put, in 2022, he will be busy,” said his coach Sonya Mustafa, who also serves as the technical director of the Oman Paralympic Committee. “We have set goals for all three of these events.”
“While it is very difficult to reach the levels required to participate at the Paralympics, it is even harder to maintain those standards,” she added. “Our goals are for him to maintain his performance levels he is currently at, even during these upcoming tournaments, and hopefully win medals for the country.”
“Every time you reach a particular goal, you are required to work harder to achieve your next objective: that is the demanding nature of sport,” added Al Mashaykhi.
30-year-old Al Mashaykhi, who comes from the town of Jalan Bani Bu Hassan in the Sharqiyah region, was infected with meningitis at the age of five.
Although he recovered from the disease, it left him with cerebral palsy and dystonia, a condition in which his hands and neck move involuntarily.
Despite his challenges, he finished third in the seated shot put event at Tokyo 2020, throwing a distance of 10.84 metres that meant he finished behind Li Liu of China and Aleksei Churkin of Russia.
“When we realised he had won a medal at the Paralympics, the feelings we experienced were simply impossible to describe,” said Mustafa.
“That he has come so far is of course a great testament to his determination and character, but it would not have been possible without the blessings of God.”
As a young boy fighting disability, Mohammed sadly had to endure a lot of stigma from society, because many did not know enough about his condition. His victory this year helped shatter a lot of myths about handicapped people.
“After I returned to Jalan, I was considered my town’s best citizen, because my achievements were a matter of pride for the entire community,” he said.
“He has single-handedly changed the opinions people held against disabilities. His achievements are a lesson that we must encourage everyone to do their best, especially those who are handicapped, because all of us have the capability to do something special. In Oman, fortunately there are programmes that help unlock their potential,” Coach Mustafa added.
“Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, there is a lot of stigma still prevalent against handicapped people,” she said.
“For someone like Mohammed to win a medal at the Paralympics – the world’s biggest stage – proves that those with physical and developmental challenges are just as capable as anyone else.”
Following his victory at Tokyo 2020, Al Mashaykhi met His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, who told him the true value of his success.
Speaking on behalf of Al Mashaykhi, Sonya Mustafa said, “The minister told him: ‘this victory is not just for you, but for all the handicapped people in our country, you are a shining example for all those facing challenges in Oman, and you have changed the views and opinions of society towards handicapped people.’”
Despite his achievements, Mohammed’s condition means he gets tired quickly, so it is important to support him physically and mentally.
Depending on his energy levels, his training patterns are also modified accordingly. It is important, therefore, that he receives all the support possible from his family and trainers.
There are a lot of exercises he cannot do, so a lot of exercises need to be adapted to his capacity.
“We need to work around his disabilities so that he can overcome them. One of the first things we did was to teach him to hold the shot-put properly, and that required working on his finger movements, because his hands also move involuntarily. We therefore did exercises for him to strengthen his fingers, his wrists and his hand,” Mustafa said.
“There is a saying we have in sports: if you want something, you can do it,” she explained. “Fortunately, the government of Oman and the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth has provided Mohammed a lot of the resources he needs to compete, be it proper training facilities and coaches, or entering him into international competitions. They have done their maximum to ensure he is given all he needs to excel.”
Al Mashaykhi won his first medal in shot put at the World Championships in 2017, where he bagged silver, and followed that up with three more – one gold and two silver, a year later at the CPISRA World Games, which is organised especially for athletes affected by cerebral palsy. That year, he also won a gold and silver medal each at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
