Paris 2024 | Para Powerlifting Preview: Athletes to Watch on Day Two Great Britain's Olivia Broome and China's Jinping Xiao are the favorites in the women's up to 50kg category, while Egypt's Rehab Ahmed is the top contender in the women's up to 55kg. In the men's events, China's Qi Yongkai is the one to beat in the men's up to 59kg, with compatriot Zou Yi looking strong in the men's up to 65kg competition on day two.

Egypt's reigning world champion, Rehab Ahmed, will be one of the top contenders for the gold medal in the women's up to 55kg category at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Day Two Para Powerlifting: Four Paralympic Champions to be Crowned

On September 5 at the La Chapelle Arena, day two of the Para Powerlifting competition will see four Paralympic champions crowned—two in the afternoon and two more in the evening.

Here’s the full schedule and the key athletes to watch.

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The Champions The women's up to 50kg final kicks off the day’s action with a thrilling contest in store. Great Britain’s Olivia Broome, the reigning world champion and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist, is favored to claim gold, but fresh talent emerging from recent World Cups promises an exciting battle. China's Jinping Xiao, who set a new Asian record with a 123kg lift in Tbilisi, and Bose Bejide are expected to challenge Broome. However, top contenders Hu Dandan of China and Nigeria's world record holder Esther Oyema (131kg) will not be competing.

Next, the men's up to 59kg final will take center stage, where China's Qi Yongkai, the reigning Paralympic and world champion, is the athlete to beat. Other notable competitors include Tokyo 2020 and Dubai 2023 medallist Herbert Aceituno from El Salvador and Iran's Mohsen Bakhtiar, who has impressed this season. The world record for this category (211kg) has been held by Egypt's Sherif Osman since Rio 2016.

Evening Stars The evening session will open with the women's up to 55kg final, featuring Egypt’s Rehab Ahmed. Ahmed, the current world champion and world record holder (135kg), is the favorite and a Tokyo 2020 silver medallist in the -50kg category.

The men's up to 65kg final will conclude the day. China’s Zou Yi, the reigning world champion and record holder (222kg), leads the competition, but Iran's Amir Jafari Arangeh, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and Dubai 2023 silver medallist, will be vying to turn his silver into gold.

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