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29 March 2024

Haya aims to emulate Sheikha Maitha

Haya Samir Jumaa will represent the UAE at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore. (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Allaam Ousman

UAE’s junior taekwondo champion Haya Samir Jumaa will achieve what many have to wait a lifetime to achieve when she takes part in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games which begins on Saturday.

“When I got qualified to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games I was so excited. But mostly I felt so proud of myself. It was not easy to reach the Olympics and I had to put in many hours of hard training to achieve this big accomplishment. Being selected to take part in the Singapore

2010 Youth Olympic Games has motivated me to continue working hard and stay determined in order to reach the top, making my family and country proud,” said Haya in an exclusive interview with Emirates 24|7 when asked how she felt being selected to represent the country at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

She will be among five athletes representing the UAE in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games which runs from August 14 to 26.

The others are Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Majid Al Qasimi (equestrian), Salim Mattar Ali Rashid (shooting), Saif Ibrahim Al Hamadi (sailing) and Hanan Al Balushi (judo).

Haya who is still a few months away from turning 17, didn’t have to look beyond her country to gain inspiration and attain her Olympic dream.

“My idol is Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, because she inspires me in many ways. She is a very confident and extremely strong player, and is from the UAE. She has also competed in the Olympic Games of 2008 in Beijing” replied Haya when asked who was her idol and inspiration.

Sheikha Maitha, daughter of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, brought glory to the nation when she bagged a silver medal in karate at the Asian Games in Doha.

She also represented the UAE in taekwondo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“I hope that I would experience how she felt when she was competing in the Olympic Games,” said Haya who is excited like any other competitor ahead of the Games.

“Most of all I feel excited. But I definitely am very confident to compete in my sport. Another thing I am excited about is getting to watch competitions from the other sports as well at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games,” said Haya who won two gold medals (junior and senior divisions) at the UAE Open Taekwondo Ladies Championship held in Dubai in March in the under 49kg category and was adjudged player of the tournament.

Asked what her realistic goals and aspirations were at the Youth Olympics, Haya said: “I hope to earn a medal from my participation in the Youth Olympic Games competition. Also, I am really looking forward to meet my friends from the Singapore 2010 Friendship Camp that took place at Singapore Sports School. I also would like to meet new people such as sport athletes and am very excited about making new friends.”

Haya first showed her potential as a future champion when she participated in the Arab Teams Taekwondo Championship held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in 2007 where they were placed third.

She raised her game to win the first place in the inaugural Bahrain International Taekwondo Championship in the under 46kg. Haya also participated in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships held in Izmir, Turkey in 2008.

Her dedication to the sport saw her participating in national and international training camps with Shaikha Maitha especially in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

She trained with the Korean taekwondo team of Kyung Hee University and in a training camp in Paris on the invitation of the French Taekwondo Federation in 2007 in which players from Spain, Mexico, Taiwan, Denmark, Iceland, Morocco, Holland, Belarus and Finland assisted in the selection of the French team for the Beijing Games.

In addition she also trained alongside the Morocco and Egypt national taekwondo teams in Dubai during Sheikha Maitha’s preparations for the Olympics.

“I am continuously training on a regular basis, but I have been in China for around 20 days undergoing training with the Chinese Taekwondo team at a training camp in ShiChaHai Sports School in Beijing,” said Haya on her immediate preparations for the Singapore Games.

She feels confident that her tactical and skill level has improved after all these training programmes. “The best improvement I have reached so far is a quicker reaction to strikes from my opponent. I now feel much smarter because I have learnt better tactics which help me compete better.

I also feel like I have gained further experience by training with other taekwondo players from different countries,” she said.

“After all the training I have been going through, I am very confident in my fitness level and ability to compete. Also, the excitement is overwhelming because it is the first Youth Olympic Games ever,” added Haya.

Asked whether her performance could be affected because the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games would be held during the Holy month of Ramadan, she replied: “This is not my first time to be training during Ramadan and never has Ramadan affected my lifestyle. The point of Ramadan is not to slow down, it’s to keep going and it is a push to move forward.”