I competed with players my children’s age in the Paris Paralympics… Age is just a number

Dubai Club for People of Determination and UAE Powerlifting Team player Mohammed Khamis (55 years old) is proud to be the Emirati player who has participated the most in the Paralympic Games, with seven participations. The first participation was in the Sydney Games in 2000, and he continued his successful career without stopping until the last edition (Paris 2024), setting an Emirati and Gulf record.

The Emirati champion, who has won 37 international medals in the Paralympic Games, Asian and World Championships, and Fazza International Championships, including three medals in the Paralympic Games (two gold and one silver), explained that he competed with players the age of his children in the “Paris 2024” tournament, and that he looks forward to participating in the next tournament “Los Angeles 2028”, noting that he considers age to be just a number.

Khamis began his first participation in the Paralympic Games with the “Sydney 2000” edition, which witnessed his first appearance in that major Paralympic event, and achieved fourth place at the time. He embarked on a journey of achievements from his second participation in “Athens 2004”, where he presented the UAE with its first gold medal in the history of its participation in the Paralympic Games.

The UAE champion’s journey of achievements continued, winning the silver medal in Beijing 2008. Although an injury prevented him from winning a medal in London 2012, he returned and won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016. In Tokyo 2020, an injury prevented him from achieving a new achievement.

Throughout his career, Mohammed Khamis (father of nine children) succeeded in challenging “polio” that struck him at the age of one and a half years, and he did not surrender to it until he was able to achieve unprecedented accomplishments.

Player Mohammed Khamis succeeded in obtaining fourth place in the 88 kg weight class in the strength competitions at “Paris 2024”, after lifting 210 kg, four kg behind the third-place winner who lifted 214 kg, revealing that he succeeded many times during training in lifting 215 kg, but he was not successful in repeating that in the championship, indicating that he competed with players of ages close to the ages of his children, as the player who won the gold medal is 26 years old, the silver medalist is 31 years old, and the bronze medalist is 27 years old.

Mohammed Khamis told Al-Emarat Al-Youm: “My ambition is to continue practicing sports and participate in the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028,” stressing that he will continue to maintain his skills, physical fitness and flexibility to be able to achieve successful participation on behalf of the UAE.

He added: “I consider age to be just a number, and my ambition is to participate in the next Paralympic Games, raise the UAE flag in international forums once again, and set a new record for Emirati sports, and a personal record for me.”

He explained that he won 37 international medals in the Paralympic Games, Asian and World Championships, and Fazza International Championships, including two golds and a silver in the Paralympics.

Mohammed Khamis revealed that if he decided to retire one day, he would not abandon his beloved sport, and would work in the field of training or sports management and seek to discover champions who could continue the UAE’s journey of achievements in the field of sports.

Care and support

Paralympic champion Mohammed Khamis said that he has been an employee of the Dubai Courts Department in the Customer Happiness Department for 18 years, and he performs his job with great happiness due to the care and support he receives from the officials. He praised the role of the Dubai Club for People of Determination and the Emirates Federation for People of Determination, and he is proud of the pivotal and distinguished role of his Moroccan coach Tito Qassim, appreciating the efforts of all the administrators and coaches who cooperated with him to continue winning championships for him and his fellow players.

Mohammed Khamis’s Achievements in the Paralympic Games

Sydney 2000 Fourth Place

Athens 2004 Gold

“Beijing 2008” Silver

London 2012 Final Round and Stopped Due to Injury

Rio de Janeiro 2016 Gold

Tokyo 2020 Final Round and Stopped Due to Injury

Paris 2024 Fourth place