Lamia Tariq Malallah continued her rise in the world of gymnastics as the UAE little wonder clinched gold at the International Rhythmic Gymnastics Youth Cup held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sunday.
Eight-year-old Lamia finished on top in the A category for junior girls with a total of 21.8 points to take the gold at Tashkent’s Youth Union Sport Centre. Lamia gathered 12.7 points in the freehand routine and 9.1 points in the hoop apparatus to take home gold.
Alexsandra Klishina from the Almaty RG Club came in second while Samira Yuldasheva from the YUSC Club finished with bronze.
The tournament was organised by the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation of Uzbekistan with gymnasts from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan fighting for the top honours.
Lamia thus became the first Emirati to take part in the competition and she ended up taking the top spot. British national Alexandra Stadden, who represents the UAE, also won gold in her age group in category B.
Trained by Ksenia Dzhalaganiya, Lamia is making rapid strides in the world of gymnastics. The International School Choueifat student won gold at the inaugural Dubai International Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships at the Al Habtoor Indoor Complex in 2017.
She hasn’t looked back since, winning golds at the 2017 Open GR Azur International in Nice, France, and the Armonia Cup in Greece. She had also clinched silver at the 2017 Winter Cup in Germany, along with a bronze at the Novogorsk Winter Cup in Moscow last year.
To top all that, Lamia became the youngest Emirati and only gymnast to win the prestigious Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award.
