UAE women paralympians shine

They participated, they won and they conquered the hearts of all with their amazing courage and resilience in the face of their physical challenges. The UAE's women paralympians who participated in the 6th Fazza International Athletics IPC Grand Prix Competition 2014 in Dubai for the differently abled were the epitome of hope. The championship had athletes from nearly 40 countries competing in a range of sporting activities including wheelchair javelin, shot put, discus, long jump and 100 metres, 200 metres, 800 metres and 1,500 metre track races at Al Thiqa Club in Sharjah. Hamda Al Hosni, an epileptic since the age of two, won the 100 metre and 200 metre silver in track racing at this year's Fazza Championships and has won a total of 44 gold medals in athletic meets around the world. Despite an accident that triggered the epilepsy, Hamda did not give up on her dream of pursuing her passion — sports. "I believe that faith and confidence and a strong will helps one defy all obstacles. Faith enables one to build trust in oneself, and then it doesn't matter if you win or lose. It becomes about the sport and what you can give and how much you can enjoy it. When I look back today, I feel like I have come a long way. Part of my philosophy has been to encourage my friends and volunteers at work. If you despair, there is no hope and it is very important to stay off that path,” says the 26- year-old, who broke the world record in track racing at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. She recounts the challenge of growing up with her condition. "It was tough as I was severely epileptic and would get extremely uncomfortable in school when I had an episode. I resented school and couldn't make many friends because I didn't quite understand what it meant to be epileptic at that age. It impairs your ability to socialise and develop meaningful relationships with people at that age. Hence, today I fully understand how people with special needs feel and what they expect from the world around them,” she said. ‘Proud' She gives credit to Abu Dhabi Sports Club for teaching her to accept who she was and to learn to overcome her disability. "A disability becomes a disability only if you allow it to. At the centre, as I looked around me and interacted with other young people, I realised that people were in more despair than I was and it made me feel responsible for them and made me want to give them what I could,” says Hamda. Hamda, who is also an avid horse rider, has been competing consistently at the Fazza Championship each year. "Today, I am so proud to represent my country internationally as a professional athlete. I spend about an hour every day just running as part of my training regime. I also enjoy football and cycling. When I look at the medals I have won, I feel very proud and it makes me strive to do more for my country. I believe I can be a model for others combating disabilities and my message to them is that with faith, you can do anything. Never give up and, above all, believe in yourself and your abilities rather than your disabilities. At the Abu Dhabi Sports Club for Special Needs, they call us ‘heroes of determination and will' and I want more people with special needs to believe this.” While Hamda was candid about her condition, two other paralympians from the UAE — Siham Al Rasheedi and Aisha Al Khalidy, both in their mid- to late 20s, did not want to discuss the nature of their physical challenges. Both these athletes have participated and won in paralympic events and also won at the Fazza Championships. Siham, from the Dubai Club for the Disabled, represented the UAE at the Summer Paralympics in London 2012. She won a silver medal in the women's wheelchair javelin event at the Fazza Championships and hopes to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Siham, who is currently ranked among the top ten athletes in the UAE, attributes much of her success to her mother and son, both of whom inspired her to pursue her ambition to become an athlete. Aisha, also from the Khor Fakkan Club, is an ace at javelin and discus throwing events. She was ranked No 4 at the Asian level in the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in France in javelin. She won the gold in the Fazza Championships in the wheelchair javelin and silver in the wheelchair discus. Overjoyed with her victory she said: "I faced a lot of challenges when I chose to take up sports but I learnt to cope with my limitations and overcome the difficulties. I dedicate my medals to my coach and my club.” Aisha has been participating in the Fazza Championships for nearly five years and is now looking forward to the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Source: Gulf News