Brazil's Terezinha Guilhermina (left) and guide Guilherme Santana.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
The Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships will take place at Qatar Sports Club from 21-31 October.
The largest para-sport event ever to come to the Middle East will see the 1,400 of the world’s most incredible athletes from over 100 countries battle to become World Champions and secure their place at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
One should expect intense competition, an exhilarating atmosphere and inspirational stories of triumph over adversity across ten days of unbelievable action in the capital.
Paralympic Champions, world-record holders and defending World Champions will inspire and amaze spectators from around the world as they showcase their incredible abilities and challenge to become the greatest para-athletes on the globe. Tickets for the event can be purchased at http://doha2015.q-tickets.com/
Here are three key athletes to look out for:
Terezinha Guilhermina
Terezinha is a Brazilian multiple Paralympic and World Champion and world record holder in 100m, 200m and 400m T11 (athletes with a visual impairment). Terezinha has a degenerative eye condition which has left her almost totally blind. Terezinha grew up in poverty in a family of 12 and her mother died when she was just nine years old, leaving the children to forage on leftovers just to feed themselves.
Terezinha discovered she was a fast runner when running away from bullies. She switched from swimming to athletics when her sister, who was a maid, gave Terezinha her running shoes. The rest is history. Terezinha will be hoping to further extend her medal collection in Doha.
Jarryd Wallace
Jarryd Wallace of the USA is the current world-record holder in the 100m T44 with a time of 10.71 seconds, and the reigning World Champion in the 200m T44. As a promising young runner with Olympic hopes and an athletics scholarship at the University of Georgia, Wallace developed compartment syndrome in his lower leg which eventually led to the amputation of Wallace’s right leg below the knee.
Undeterred, Wallace immediately set his sights on Paralympic glory and just three years later he became World Champion in the 200m T44. The 100m T44 final at Doha 2015 promises to be one of the most exciting showdowns as Wallace will come head to head with fellow USA teammate, Richard Browne who was undefeated in the 100m for all of 2014.
Abdelrahman Abdelqader
Qatari sporting hero, Abdelrahman Abdelqader, just last month broke the world-record in the shot put T34.
Abdelqader, who has cerebral palsy, took up para-athletics almost by accident when his physiotherapist informed him about the sport. Despite a slow start with some early poor results, Abdelqader persevered and began to improve. The hard-work paid off when he became the Asian Para-Games Champion in shot put last year.
Abdelqader will be hoping that the support of the home crowd in Doha will spur him .
