Breaking new ground for women, Olympic glory, consistent success: There are many factors behind why these female competitors are so revered in the region.
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BETLHEM BELAYNEH
In June middle-distance runner Betlhem Belayneh overcame some poor form to successfully defended her Asian Athletics Championships 1500m title in Wuhan, China. Not content with just one gold medal, Betty added the 5000m title as well.
The Ethiopian-born runner has twice this year – in Stockholm and Heusden-Zolder – run below 4:26 minutes, the Olympic qualifying time for the 1500m and has her sights firmly set on winning a place at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
FATMA AL NABHANI
It has been a stellar year for Oman’s top-ranked female tennis player, who racked up 48 wins and just 17 losses. The Muscat native picked up five ITF $10K titles in Manama (Bahrain), Heraklion (Greece), El Kantoui (Tunisia) and two in Hyderabad (India) to take her career tally of ITF singles trophies so far to nine.
In addition to her sizzling singles form, the Omani ace demonstrated a diverse skill-set with a further six doubles titles. Al Nabhani is now ranked 377, closing in on the career-high ranking of 362 she achieved five years ago, and continues to set the standard for Gulf women in tennis.
ZAHRA LARI
Dubbed the ‘Ice Princess in the Hijab’, Zahra Lari is breaking many stereotypes with her success in professional figure skating this year.
After some competitive performances in the European Cup, the university student has not only proved that a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf can achieve the highest honours on the rink, but also people from desert nations. Abu Dhabi-based Lari is a woman on a mission and her next target is the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
FATIMA AL HOSANI
Fatima Al Hosani, the UAE’s only discus thrower, finished second in her debut World Youth Athletics Championships, in Colombia. It has been a busy 2015 for the 16-year-old, who earlier in the year picked up two silver medals at the Asian Youth Championships in Doha and the Arab Youth Championships in Tunisia.
Already tipped to become a future world champion, Al Hosani has become something of a mini-celebrity at home in Sharjah, where she is regularly stopped for photographs with fans.
ALIA AL SHAMSI
The year 2015 will go down in history as the first time an Emirati woman swam competitively, thanks to Alia Al Shamsi. The 15-year-old had only been training with the UAE national team for two months before she took to the Hamdan Sports Complex pool for the Arab Swimming Championships.
Records continued to tumble for Al Shamsi, who four months later became the first Emirati female to represent the country at a World Aquatics Championships, in Kazan.
Alia Al Shamsi & Nadal Al Bedwawi, the first UAE female swimmers to represent the Emirates at Swimming World Champ. pic.twitter.com/NKBbSlKP5F
— UAEswimming (@UAESwimming) July 31, 2015
