Dubai
Though overshadowed by the UAE senior’s best-ever showing at the Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan earlier this week, the country’s future in track and field has been secured by the young brigade.
Fatima Al Hossani and Alia Al Hammadi won silver medals in the girls discus throw and high jump as the Arab Athletics Championships that concluded in Tunisia last week. Al Hossani hurled the disc to 41.36 metres, while Al Hammadi’s attempt of 1.45 metres was good enough for a second place.
This was the first-ever major triumph for both Sharjah-based juniors, and they have enough reason to feel happy and pleased that they are headed in the right direction. “I am dreaming of big things. I want to go to the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the Asian Games and prove that I am good enough for the big stage,” Al Hossani told Gulf News.
“I am capable of much better throws, but maybe the occasion got to be a bit and I felt nervous. But now that I have taken the first step I feel confident,” she added.
Al Hammadi’s attempt in Tunis was not good enough to better her national mark of 1.50m that she achieved in 2013 in Doha, while Al Hossani’s heave bettered the national record of 31.87m that stood in her name since June 2013.
“During practice my best was a flat 43 metres. So it is not that I am incapable of setting new targets and goals for myself. I want to keep on improving and the best way to do this is to go step by step,” Al Hossani said.
The 16-year-old Grade XI student from Al Gharain School, Sharjah practices daily at the Al Thiqah Club with the sole intention of achieving her targets. “I give myself another two years to be at the top in Asia. After that I will turn my attention to the world. Rio 2016 may be a bit too early, but the next Games in Tokyo will definitely be the right time for me to prove what I am capable of,” Al Hossani promised.
Her 17-year-old team-mate too set her sights high. “It’s just one more year till the next Olympic Games. But the following one in Tokyo can definitely belong to a new generation of athletes such as Fatima and me,” Al Hammadi said.
“It’s a question of time. I am prepared to work hard and improve daily so that I can one day see the UAE flag fly high,” she added.
-Ends
