Winter Olympic dream a step closer for the UAE’s Ice Princess

Sport360 staff 14:30 03/03/2014
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  • Breaking new ground: Zahra Lari is the first Emirati skater to take part in an ISU event.

    The Winter Olympic dream is now firmly in Zahra Lari’s sights as she becomes the first figure skater to officially represent the UAE in a competition as a member of the International Skating Union (ISU).

    The homegrown star’s ISU membership comes following the UAE Ice Sports Federation’s acceptance as a member in October 2013, making the UAE the first country in the Middle East to join.

    Membership to the ISU, the governing body for figure skating, is essential in order to enter major international competitions, including the Winter Olympics.

    Commenting on her first ISU competition last month, Zahra said: "Slovakia was a great experience. Even though I came in at 12th place, I was happy because I improved on my total scores. I've been working hard in order to beat my best score for each competition. No one starts at the top. You have to work hard for it and that's what I'm doing."

    Zahra, who trains at Zayed Sport City, has seen significant improvements to her performance following the venue’s appointment of world-class coach, Zsolt Kerekes. Kerekes’ technical skill set complements the creativity of Zahra’s original coach, Noemi Bedo, providing for more balanced training.

    Having spent a combined 11 years with the Romanian Olympic and Hungarian National figure skating teams, Kerekes was a three-time national champion and a world top 10 skater. He has previously coached skaters into national champions and finalists in the World Junior and Senior events. 

    To reach the Olympics, Zahra will follow his prescribed four year plan, training six days a week. In years one and two she will master triple jumps so that the rotation reflex becomes automatic, while years three and four will focus on Olympic qualifications.

    Barry Bremner, General Manager of Zayed Sports City, said: “Zahra is a wonderful example of a homegrown, natural talent and we are immensely proud to say that she has developed at our facility.

    "Adding Zsolt onto our staff has allowed Zahra to continue to train at an international standard without leaving the city, and we are already beginning to see the results of his expertise and experience in her skating.”

    Since her new training plan was implemented, Zahra has improved her personal best in international competition and has shifted her focus onto spins with higher levels of difficulty.

    She is now skating faster, more dynamically and with more elements. She is currently sharpening up landing the Salcow, toe loop and loop triple jumps, which are now 10 centimetres higher than before.

    The aspiring Winter Olympian continues to be a role model, both internationally and locally. Zahra was recently featured in UNICEF’s “Voices of Youth”, and once competition season culminates, she plans to volunteer with the ice rink’s ‘Learn to Skate’ programme, encouraging young skaters to take up the sport.

    Zahra’s success has inspired Emiratis from Dubai and Al Ain to carve out their skills at her training facility at Zayed Sport City.

    The ice rink has seen a clear increase in popularity of figure skating and as a result has formed a new ‘Young Talents’ group, which transitions Learn to Skate participants to the Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team.

    Next on Zahra’s ISU competition schedule is the Sportland Trophy competition in Budapest, taking place March 4-9, where she will take on 15 to 20 fellow world-class competitors.

    Visit www.zsc.ae for to learn more about Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team and the ‘Learn to Skate’ programme.

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