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Amna Al Haddad 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. (Facebook/Amna Al Haddad)
26-year-old Emirati Amna Al Haddad is no ordinary girl - she is a hijabi weightlifter, smashing stereotypes and inspiring women around her.
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This aspiring United Arab Emirates' Olympic hopeful is a sports pioneer in the Middle East and advocates female sports.
Instagram/Amna Al Haddad
A journalist turned weightlifter, Amna's curriculum vitae includes nine medals in International Weightlifting Federation competitions, first women Arab cross fitter, motivational speaker and most importantly (like her bio says) she 'breaks barriers'.
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.
Instagram/Amna Al Haddad
Amna has again created history as sportswear giant Nike featured her in their 'Inner Strength' documentary series.
The weightlifter says, "This is an important moment in history, not for me, but for women empowerment worldwide. Why? To be an athlete from the Middle East, and from the UAE, to be chosen to be featured in Nike recent "inner strength" documentary series as the first woman says a lot about the brand as well as the progress of our country. It is an honor and a big role for me that I am proud of and feel deeply grateful and positive!"
In the documentary she talks about training as both a female, and a covered Muslim athlete.
She describes her journey and how what she does not only shatters stereotypes, but impacts the lives of other young women like her.
Instagram/Amna Al Haddad
"You can do whatever you want. Be who you want to be. The most important thing to do is take action. I was not given the tools, nor the circumstances; I just created it and I made it happen."
'Inner Strength' is a documentary series that captures the inspiration and motivation that drive Nike athletes in their training.
Amna, now training in the US, participated in her first competition in 2011, and her journey has taken her to several locations around the world, where she actively competes and continues to pave the way for other Arab women. She describes what her life was like before she actively pursued professional sports.
A depressed and overweight journalist, Al Haddad made a decision to go for a walk that changed her life. "From there, I started going to the gym normally and then I got into Cross Fit, which changed my view of strength sports for women, and I just fell in love with weightlifting," she shared with Nike.
Instagram/Amna Al Haddad
Instagram/Amna Al Haddad
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