In The Press

It was four years ago that Amna Al Haddad decided to leave behind the world of journalism in order to create her own story.

 Meet the new generation of Middle Eastern women aiming for Olympic glory – Women in the World in Association with The New York Times – WITW Meet the new generation of Middle Eastern women aiming for Olympic glory – Women in the World in Association with The New York Times – WITW

In a series of wide-ranging interviews — with 20 athletes of seven nationalities plus their coaches and families — The Washington Post’s Chuck Culpepper has set out to map the rise of female athletes in the Middle East in the 2010s.

Mohammed Simsim, the president of the Saudi Arabian Weightlifting Federation, embodies existential dilemmas involved in Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s effort to reform and diversify the kingdom’s energy dependent and public sector driven economy.

DUBAI — In a coffeehouse with the world’s tallest building preening from two miles out the front window, here sits another groundbreaker: a 26-year-old, female, Emirati, Arab, Muslim, competitive weightlifter with a vitality in her tone, a hijab on her head and a herniated disk hollering from her lower back.

The UAE women’s weightlifting team’s qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio later this year is a big step for the sport in the country.

The Olympic doping chronicles continue, and this time, the fallout has shifted the odds were in favor of weightlifters from Qatar, Morocco, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

Amna Al Haddad (born 21 Oct 1989) is a UAE national weightlifter. Her fitness journey began when she was about 19 years old.

كدت خلود عبيد عضو اتحاد الأثقال رئيسة الفريق النسائي أن ثقتهم كانت كبيرة في تأهل المنتخب إلى نهائيات أولمبياد ريو 2016 بالبرازيل رغم أن المنتخب ابتعد بفارق نقطتين فقط عن التأهل الرسمي بحصوله على المركز السابع برصيد 82 نقطة في التصفيات الآسيوية التي استضافتها أوزبكستان في أبريل الماضي، مشيرة إلى أن المنتخب كان يطمح للوصول إلى 84 نقطة، حتى يضمن تأهله رسمياً إلى الأولمبياد للمرة الثانية على التوالي في تاريخه.

Weekly roundup of ALTM news: June 6

UAE women’s weightlifters handed Rio Olympics spot after doping crackdown.

Amna Al Haddad is a UAE national weightlifter. Her passion for health and fitness started in 2007 after which she was introduced to crossfit in April 2011. She made history by being the first Emirati and GCC national to compete in the Asia Regionals and the first and only Muslim woman to do so in a headscarf. Prior to being a full-time athlete, she worked full-time for The National newspaper as a reporter (June 2011 – June 2012).

“One day, I woke up and realised I couldn’t continue living like this,” exclaims Amna al Haddad, who at 19 began a journey that would transform her life and make her a role model among women in the Middle East – something she never expected.

With the Olympics around the corner, there will be a lot of interest from the UAE to see how our athletes perform. One person hoping for success is Amna Al Haddad , the 26-year-old Emirati weightlifter.

تابع رباعو ورباعات المنتخب الوطني لرفع الأثقال مرحلة الحصص التدريبية في صالة «بارج» بإمارة رأس الخيمة ضمن المرحلة الأخيرة من الإعداد قبل الانتقال إلى المشاركة في التصفيات الآسيوية المؤهلة إلى أولمبياد ريو 2016 التي تستضيفها أوزبكستان من 20 إلى 30 أبريل الحالي.

Emirati Weight Lifting Champion Amna Al Haddad will find out whether or not she will have a spot in the Olympics on April 25th when she competes in the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan.

Dubai: Emirati weightlifter Amnah Al Haddad heads to Uzbekistan for the Asian Championships on April 25 to try and secure a place at this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

كانت آمنة الحداد، لاعبة الأثقال الإماراتية قبل خمس سنوات صحافية شابة في الإمارات العربية المتحدة تعيش أسلوب حياة غير صحيّ. إلا أنها تأمل في 25 أبريل/نيسان القادم أن تتأهّل للمشاركة في الألعاب الأولمبية لعام 2016 التي ستجري في مدينة ريو دي جانيرو.

This statement provides a glimpse into the mindset of Amna Al Haddad, who four years ago gave up a successful career in journalism to pursue an Olympic dream……

In a windowless room, tucked behind a construction business in a nondescript plaza, a group of athletes is working to shatter records and change minds……

Video interview that was aired on CNN…..

Amna Al Haddad has a lot “weighing” on her mind – chiefly, qualifying for this summer’s Olympics in Rio…..

My fitness journey began when I was about 19 years old. I was leading a very unhealthy lifestyle: eating all the wrong things and doing nothing about it. One day, I woke up and realized that I couldn’t continue living like that!….

Sydney schoolgirl Stephanie Kurlow wants to become the first hijabi ballerina in the world – and to open a dance school for girls of all backgrounds to pirouette in her footsteps….

تلازمنا في الحياة  الكثير من المفاهيم والمعتقدات الخاطئة والصحيحة، وهي التي تقودنا إلى اماكن كثيرة وتشكل أهدافنا وطموحاتنا. ولعل الرياضة وممارستها من اكثر الامور المثيرة للجدل خاصةً عندما تدخل فتاة في حديث رياضي، وكأن الرياضة والتفكير بها وممارستها حكراً على الرجال فقط. فأتساءل ما نوع الجدل الذي سيثار لو مارست فتاة رياضة لا يمارسها إلا الرجال؟ 

Amna Al Haddad is a pioneer in the sport of weightlifting. In 2012 she became the first Arab woman to compete in the Asian Crossfit regionals in Korea, and the first to do so wearing a hijab, or head scarf….

“One day, I woke up and realised I couldn’t continue living like this,” exclaims Amna al Haddad, who at 19 began a journey that would transform her life and make her a role model among women in the Middle East – something she never expected. …

The saying ‘stick and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ has been proven false since the tragedy of 911. It has been through words of propaganda, …

In light of the launch of the Nike + Training Club (NTC) app in Arabic, Nike has teamed up with Emirati champion weightlifter Amna Al Haddad to create a short film…

Victory prevails in the United Arab Emirates as a mature Olympic weightlifter transcends the limits of the country’s emerging athletic culture. Four years ago, Amna Al-Haddad decided to quit her full-time job as a journalist to pursue her passion for sports, a rather unusual aspiration for an Emirate woman….

بعد انطلاق حملة نايكي الجديدة لهذا العام، التي تشجّع النساء على التمرين الرياضي بشكل جدي ومستمر من خلال قصص ملهمة لرياضيات متألقات حققن أهدافاً ونجاحات عدة في الشرق الأوسط، تعرّفنا على الإماراتية آمنة الحداد التي اختارت أن تنتقل إلى أوهايو لتحقق أهدافها الرياضية لهذه السنة، وحظينا برحلة حصرية استغرقت حوالي الـ 17 ساعة لنصل إلى مدينة أكرون في ولاية أوهايو، المكان الذي اختارته آمنة ليكون مقرها لفترة وجيزة حيث تمارس تدريباتها المكثفة لتمارين رفع الأثقال.

ترعرت الرياضية آمنة في عائلة تحب النجاح والأهداف، فوالدتها كانت من أوائل الحاصلات على منحة للدراسة في الأردن. فتبعت آمنة خطوات والدتها، واختارت أن تعبر البحار والمسافات لتحقق حلمها، وهو احتراف رياضة رفع الأثقال، والوصول إلى مبارايات الأولمبياد لعام 2016.

Nike have teamed up with Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad once again as they announce the launch of the Nike+ Training Club app in Arabic…

After scoring nine medals at the IWF Asian Interclub Championships and kick starting the Nike 10k in Dubai, Amna Al Haddad now has the Rio Olympics in her sights.

See Video.

شهدت دبي، أمس، إقامة سباق «نايكي» لمسافة 10 كيلومترات في وسط مدينة دبي،

الذي افتتحته نجمة رفع الأثقال الاماراتية آمنة الحداد، حيث حظي بمشاركة 13 ألف عداء بالقرب من برج خليفة، وأطلق على سباق دبي للجري اسم «WE RUN DXB».

كشفت بطلة رفع الأثقال الإماراتية، آمنة الحداد، أنها تسعى جاهدة لتمثيل الدولة في دورة الألعاب الأولمبية 2016 التي تقام في مدينة ريو دي جانيرو البرازيلية، مؤكدة على حظوظها في وضع بصمتها في هذه الرياضة الشاقة والصعبة على الفتيات.

Birleşik Arap Emirliklerinin en başarılı kadınlarından biri olan Amna Al Haddad ile halter sporundaki başarılarına ve Müslüman kadınların profesyonel spor yolculuğuna dair keyifi bir söyleşi gerçekleştirdik

At 22 she became the first woman from the United Arab Emirates to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games Open. Later that year she became the first woman from her country to compete at the Asia Regionals. Not only was she the first woman, but the only Muslim woman do so in a headscarf.  At 23, she competed in her Arnold Weightlifting Competition where she was the first person, male or female to compete from the UAE.

Dubai – A book containing stories of 21 successful local ladies called Emirati Women Achievers was released at Le Meriden Hotel in Dubai on Sunday evening. The 184-page coffee-table book in English has been published by Xponent Media, the UAE-based publishing company which has previously published the titles Pacesetters, Pacesetters 2 and Gen Next Indians.

كسبت البعثة الإماراتية لرفع الأثقال الرهان، خلال مشاركتها في بطولة كأس العرب وغرب آسيا، التي أقيمت على مدار الأيام الماضية في العاصمة الأردنية عمان، وذلك بعدما طوقت الميداليات الملونة أعناق رباعونا ورباعتنا بحصيلة بلغت 58 ميدالية، فيما كان التفوق الأبرز للفتيات الإماراتيات اللواتي حققن المركز الأول في فئة السيدات والشابات والناشئات، في إنجاز ثلاثي يعكس التطور الذي يحققهن الفتيات رغم محدودية وضعف الإمكانات المادية والتهميش الذي تعانيه رياضة رفع الأثقال عموماً.

كسرت آمنة الحداد قاعدة أن تكون رياضة رفع الأثقال للرجال فقط، وبعزيمتها وعملها الجاد دخلت هذا العالم، وهي تستعد للمنافسة في بطولة عالمية.

Most young people perceive themselves to be in good health, with 97 per cent of both age groups rating their health as either “very good” or “good.”

Two out of three of those surveyed exercised regularly but, young women were less likely to exercise than young men. Amna Al Haddad, an Emirati weightlifter who is hoping to compete in the 2016 Olympics, said she was pleased that the results indicated many of her compatriots were taking up exercise.

Earlier today, Amna Al Haddad, a 25-year-old United Arab Emirates weightlifter aiming for the 2016 Olympics, joined Team SCA in a ProAm Race in Abu Dhabi. Besides being a weightlifter who is aiming high, Amna is also a strength coach, motivational speaker and freelance journalist.

Meet eight women who don’t take no for an answer, and join Cosmo and the Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings initiative in raising a glass to the world-rocking work they do. Then go forth and conquer your world.

أعلنت أكاديمية فاطمة بنت مبارك للرياضة النسائية رعايتها الرسمية لاثنتين من الرياضيات من بطلات الإمارات في رفع الأثقال والتزلج على الجليد، وذلك في إطار نهجها الوطني وخططها الاستراتيجية ورسالتها الهادفة لدعم مساعي الارتقاء والتفوق لشريحة رياضة المرأة الإماراتية في جميع الاستحقاقات القارية والدولية..

In the past few months I have had the pleasure of working with Amna Al Haddad. She is a motivated, strong woman with a goal of training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. When I first met Amna she was a little disappointed with her progress and felt like she had hit a wall with her training.

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Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad is the star of “Tough As Leather,” the latest installment in Ray-Ban’s “Order of Never Hide” campaign. In the video, the 24-year-old Al Haddad shows off her workout routine – which she hopes will take her to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio.

Fiery-spirited 23-year-old Emirati female weightlifter Amna Al Haddad has been training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio…..  It’s just the kind of spirit that’s a perfect fit for The Order of Never Hide – www.ray-ban.com/orderofneverhide – a viral worldwide campaign which requires participants to complete a set of 5 challenges on the official Ray-Ban website.

Traditionell wird Gewichtheben noch immer als Sport für harte Männer wahrgenommen. Was bewegt eine Frau dazu, in diese Männerdomäne einzudringen und am „Women Grand Prix“, der europaweit größten Veranstaltung im Frauen-Gewichtheben, teilzunehmen? Während des Wettbewerbs beim AV 03 Speyer sprach Dr. Alexander Amberg mit Amna Al Haddad, 24, aus der Nationalmannschaft der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate.

Today, I present you an interview with one of the few women lifter from UAE ( United Arab Emirates). She certainly is the first woman from UAE to compete internationally. She indeed competed at the 2014 Arnolds and at the 10th Woman Grand Prix in Austria. While she is relatively new to weightlifting, she has goals that she intends to reach. Her goal is to compete at the Olympics, where she would actually be the first woman from UAE to do so. Her story is one of women empowerment, struggle and perseverance.

During an early-May training session in Dubai, 24-year-old weightlifter Amna Al Haddad was attempting to hoist more than two-thirds of her body weight above her head when one of her elbows bent slightly, her knees buckled a bit, and the barbell slipped from her hands. The mass of steel came crashing down on her upper back before rolling off.

Even for a competitive lifter, that kind of moment is frightening. Never mind seeing your athletic career flash before your eyes; a mistake in the weight room can negatively impact how you walk and talk for the rest of your life. For the 5-foot-2 Al Haddad, she escaped this slip-up with just a bruise.

And yet taking those risks and overcoming that fear is part of what draws Al Haddad to weightlifting. A career journalist who quit her job to devote more time to her sport, Al Haddad is making a bid to represent the United Arab Emirates at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

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For weightlifter and AUS alumna Amna Al Haddad, representing the UAE at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil would be a dream come true. To make that happen, she has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise financial support for her training and travel.

“Finding financial support and sponsors for my sport has been a very big challenge. Therefore, I have launched a crowdfunding campaign on Aflamnah website (http://bit.ly/Ot1At3) to raise funds for my 2016 Rio Olympics program, and I am inviting people to contribute and be part of my journey.

When Emirati journalist Amna gained 8kg of body fat due to the medication she was taking after falling sick, it spurred her into taking drastic action to achieve a healthier lifestyle. What began with a walk around Safa Park led to her revisiting an interest in weight-lifting, which she had developed two years prior with no specific goal in mind. Committed this time around to making a real difference to her physique, Amna embarked on a journey of competitive sports, beginning with CrossFit, which develops skill, strength and conditioning. It was here that she received an introduction to Olympic weightlifting.

Dubai: Amna Al Haddad’s dream of becoming the first Emirati woman weightlifter to take part in the Olympics has hit a roadblock. The 24-year-old, who is hoping to represent the UAE in the 2016 Rio Olympics, is desperately looking for sponsors to fund her participation in international tournaments on the road to the Olympic Games.

Translated: Under the 10th International “ASVÖ NE” Women Weightlifting Grand Prix are athletes and teams from 16 nations in the double sports hall of Brunn am Gebirge guest. In addition to the sporting showdown the meeting is all about the encounter and friendship. The 10 May celebrated the opening also showed that strength training of the ladies can be quite charming, without compromising athletic performance. noe24 was there and has captured impressions around the “Opening Ceremony”:

Dubai: Powerful things come in small packages, to modify a truism. In this vein, Amna Al Haddad possesses a remarkable physical and mental strength that belies her diminutive stature and charming candour.

Hoisting barbells that weigh more than her body weight above her head with regular ease, the Dubai-born female weightlifter is one of the UAE’s most promising young athletes. And she believes she has a real chance of representing her country at the Olympic Games in Brazil come 2016.

Amna Al Haddad, 23, is the first covered Emirati competitive weightlifter. At a recent forum in Dubai of the UAE chapter of 85 Broads, a US-founded global network of businesswomen, she spoke about choosing Olympic training over a career in journalism – she is a former reporter for The National.

85Broads, the exclusive global network of 30,000 trailblasing businesswomen, held its annual 2013 Global Forum in Dubai this week. The event brought together around 200 of the most motivating and successful women from across the region.

Weightlifting is definitely considered a man’s sport by most people. How did you first become involved? And what would you say to people who hold that opinion?

The way I view weightlifting is like any sport. Sport should be considered for both genders without any discrimination and provide equal opportunity as sport help develop self-esteem, improve health and fitness, confidence, lowers risk of illness and a lot more.

Emirati weightlifter and Olympic hopeful Amna Al Haddad has just returned from her second competition – and trip – out of the country where she rubbed shoulders with and learned from the sport’s elite at the Arnold Weightlifting Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
She came away with a host of information on the ins and outs of lifting on a competitive level as she prepares for Rio 2016.  Sport360 took the chance to speak to the 23-year-old about her day-to-day life and what the future holds.

خريجة الجامعة الأميركية في الشارقة آمنه حداد حاليا، وطنها دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، في بطولة أرنولد الدولية لرفع الأثقال والتي تقام هذا الأسبوع في كولومبوس، أهايو، الولايات الأمريكية المتحدة. وبطولة أرنولد لرفع الأثقال هي واحدة من المسابقات الرائدة للاتحاد الدولي لرفع الأثقال. وقد تنافست خلاله شخصيات عالمية حائزة على أرقام قياسية عالمية من بلغاريا، والولايات المتحدة، وبريطانيا، وروسيا والصين، وجزر المحيط الهادئ وأرمينيا على العديد من الجوائز، والمنح الدراسية والنقدية منذ عام 2003.

Amna Al Haddad, an alumna of American University of Sharjah (AUS), is currently representing the UAE at the Arnold Weightlifting Championships (AWC) held this week in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

The Arnold Weightlifting Championships is one of the International Weightlifting Federation’s leading competitions. World-record holders from Bulgaria, the United States, Great Britain, Russia, China, Pacific Islands and Armenia have competed in Columbus since 2003 for numerous prizes, scholarships and cash.

(دبي – mbc.net) يخطئ من يعتقد أن هناك رياضات يقتصر ممارستها على الرجال فحسب وذلك مع اقتحام المرأة لمختلف أنواع الرياضة وحتى تلك التي يستبعد كثيرون تواجد الجنس اللطيف في ميادينها، فالإماراتية آمنة الحداد كسرت الصورة السائدة في مخيلة كثيرين بممارستها رفع الأثقال وتصميمها على المشاركة في الألعاب الأولمبية القادمة.

There are far more interesting ways out there to turn your life around than reading a self-help book or joining a gym – and taking up martial arts is certainly one of them.

Indeed the sport made such an impression on Emirati mixed martial artist Wael Al-Sayegh that he started his own academy.

And with the Family Martial Arts Academy in Dubai, the clue is in the name, with the doors open to beginners, pros, kids and adults alike.

I am happy to announce that on the first week of March Ms. Amna will be participating in her first international tournament: The 2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships at Columbus Weightlifting. As her official sponsor with association by one of my family’s group of companies “Atlas Travel & Tourism”, I take pride in knowing that my companies and I are helping to further show the UAE as being one of the top countries ranking for Gender Empowerment.

Amna Al Haddad is someone with not only big dreams, but also the vision to achieve them. She recently made history for the UAE by being the first Emirati and GCC national – among men and women – to compete in the Reebok Crossfit Asia Regionals, and currently the only Emirati covered female weightlifter. A full-time athlete and freelance sports journalist, she’s on a quest to represent the UAE in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics in Brazil in weightlifting.

When Katie Pattison-Hart took the challenge to be part of the first female crew to row the Atlantic unaided to raise awareness on human trafficking, she had no physical strength. But that didn’t stop her.

Al Haddad is one of the UAE’s most exciting, up-and-coming sporting exports. She is the only Emirati woman to compete at the punishing Reebok CrossFit Asia Regionals and wants to represent the UAE at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “I always found the weights room…

Twenty-three year old Amna al-Haddad trains five times a week under the close eye of a trainer in a private gym in Dubai – one of a small group of women training as competitive weightlifters in the country.

تتدرب آمنة الحداد (23 عاما) خمس مرات أسبوعيا تحت إشراف مدربها في قاعة للألعاب الرياضية في دبي ضمن مجموعة صغيرة جدا من الفتيات يمارسن رياضة رفع الأثقال.

Saif Thabet started off as a show jumper at the tender age of nine and showed so much promise in the sport that three years later he made it to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Children’s International Jumping Final.

Three years ago, Emirati Amna Al Haddad dragged herself out of her laziness and off her sofa to go for a solitary, miserable walk around Safa Park. Now she’s got her sights set on the 2016 Olympics

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a private gym tucked away in the warren of villas in the ritzy Jumeirah district here, Amna Al Haddad, a 22-year-old, adjusted her head scarf, bent to a dumbbell rack and jerked 100 pounds, roughly her body weight, into the air.

Mariam Al Omaira was told many times in her childhood that she shouldn’t play soccer, but the 26-year-old Emirati did anything but listen.

It was the first day of Ramadan when I set a new personal record in my weightlifting and a lot of people may wonder how that is possible after a 15-hour fast? Here’s my experience and tips on getting the most out of your training during The Holy Month.

1. How did you get into weightlifting?
During 2007-2009, I was a few kilos overweight and did a lot of reading on the best way to reduce bodyfat and get a lean body composition. Weight training was the answer! That’s how I got hooked. However, I also faced a bout of severe depression at one point in 2009 where I stopped exercising, was unhealthy, ate junk food all the time – I reached a point where I was sick of that lifestyle and I knew I can be a much better, healthier, happier person.

He was told he might be disabled for life after a motorcycle accident but now, not only is he a competitive athlete, Saud Al Shamsi is the owner of Dunes CrossFit in Dubai and also the first Emirati to become a CrossFit Level 1 certified trainer.

Amna Al Haddad is a 22-year-old media professional who has been weight lifting for the last two and a half years. She made history in May by being the first Emirati to participate in the Reebok Crossfit Asia Regional in Seoul. Following a strict training regime, the young fitness fanatic has to make several adjustments during the month of fasting but, she says, it is not as hard as people think.

شاركت الإماراتية آمنة الحداد الشهر الماضي في بطولة كروس فيت العالمية، والتي تعتبر بمثابة نقطة تحول في حياتها الرياضية، حيث أصبحت أول إماراتية ومواطنة خليجية تشارك في بطولة ريبوك كروس فيت آسيا الإقليمية والتي استضافتها كوريا في الفترة من 4 إلى 6 مايو. وبهذا استطاعت آمنة أن تحقق حلمها الرياضي والذي بدأته منذ أن كانت في السابعة عشرة من عمرها، عندما بدأت في ممارسة رياضة رفع الأوزان. وتبلغ آمنة من العمر 22 وبدأت تدريباتها في برنامج كروس فيت في أبريل من العام 2011، حيث تدربت مع كانديس هو، وهي صاحبت كروس فيت ليف سبارك في دبي وتحمل أيضاً لقب “المرأة الأكثر لياقة بدنية في آسيا”.

22-year-old Amna Al Haddad made history when she became the first ever Emirati Woman in Reebok Crossfit Asia held in Korea last May.

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From her desire to shed 5kg to becoming the only Emirati woman to participate in the gruelling Reebok CrossFit Asia Regionals this year, Amna Al Haddad has come a long way. Next stop, Olympics 2016, she tells Shiva Kumar Thekkepat.

شاركت الإماراتية آمنة الحداد في بطولة «كروس فيت» العالمية والتي تـُعد بمنزلةِ نقطة تحول في حياتها الرياضية ، حيث أصبحت بذلك أولَ اماراتية ومواطنةٍ خليجية تشارك في بطولة ريبوك كروس فيت آسيا الاقليمية والتي استضافتها كوريا .
آمنة حداد البالغة ُ من العمر إثنتين وعشرين سنة شاركت في بطولة آسيا الاقليمية مع اعضاء فريقها الذين بذلوا جهودا تراكمية خلال الفترة السابقة ، ما اسهم في حصول فريق ريبوك كروس فيت لايف سبارك دبي على المركز الثالث خلال افتتاح بطولة العاب ريبوك كروس فيت, كما تحمل آمنة ايضا لقب «المرأة الاكثر لياقة بدنية في آسيا .

Dubai: The 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games are among her long-term goals but for now, Emirati weightlifting pioneer Amna Al Haddad is busy testing herself in international competitions. She has already made history by being the first Emirati girl to take part in the Crossfit Asia Regional 2012 recently, but her journey has just begun.

CrossFit, the strength and conditioning fitness programme based upon performing Functional Movements at High Intensity in Constantly Varied combinations, also known simply as the sport of fitness, is in search of the world’s toughest athletes for this year’s Reebok CrossFit Games.

As the countdown began and the CrossFit Games Open had arrived, something felt so surreal to me. This was it. This was my first ever, big competition. One that I have put my life in overdrive for – trying to learn everything CrossFit.

The second week of CrossFit games has just finished and the competition is already heating up. Every week a new workout is given to the competitors, which usually tends to get harder every seven days. It was no exception this time either, as the second Workout Of the Day (WOD) threw a bit of a curve-ball to UAE female athlete Amna Al Haddad.

The Cross Fit Games Open got under way on February 22 and after its first week, UAE’s Amna Al Haddad can feel proud of herself. The Emirati woman is competing for the first time in the event.

انطلقت اول من امس فعاليات اسبوع الصحة والتربية البدنية في كلية دبي للطالبات بهدف الحد من البدانة، وتشارك طالبات الكلية واعضاء الهيئة التدريسية في الفعاليات الرياضية الخاصة بهذا الحدث، وستتاح لهم الفرصة لحضور ورش عمل ومحاضرات حول موضوعات ترتبط بالصحة.

The UAE Sport Guide 1 2 1 interview this time is with 21 year old Emirati woman Amna Al Haddad.
After learning about her sport story online, we thought Amna was perfect for this feature. Her Weightlifting dreams and goals in such an unusual sport in this region, especially for females was a unique story and one that we decided to share.
We fired over to Amna several challenging questions and she duly came back with some interesting answers showcasing her obvious spirit and determination.

Since the age of 17, Amna Al Haddad has been very interested in weightlifting and participating in challenging sports activities. She had a difficult year in 2009, but the challenges became a motivation to make some major changes in her life, including improving her health.

Amna Al Haddad is causing quite a stir in the United Arab Emirates. The 22-year-old journalist announced to the world her goal to make it to the 2012 Asia Regional just a few months ago.

Candice Howe and Amna Al Haddad join me in studio to talk about what they are doing to get back to the CrossFit Games and train. Amna is a weight lifting enthusiast, imagine….

After learning about her sport story online, we thought Amna was perfect for this feature. Her Weightlifting dreams and goals in such an unusual sport in this region, especially for females was a unique story and one that we decided to share. We fired over to Amna several challenging questions and she duly came back with some interesting answers showcasing her obvious spirit and determination