Dubai: Aisha Al Beloushi could not hide her glee at being chosen to represent the UAE in women’s weightlifting at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. But her first thoughts were with her mother as she was still unaware that the youngest of her 12 children was so close to fulfilling her childhood dream.
“I came to know I was going to represent my country at 3am today [Thursday]. I have not met my mum, but I am going home after this press conference to give her the good news,” Al Beloushi told media at the UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC) headquarters.
Al Beloushi’s dad passed away a few years back, and since then her mum has been one of her staunchest supporters.
Her mum has constantly backed her daughter’s childhood dream of representing the UAE at an Olympic Games.
“While I was in Uzbekistan [for the Asian Weightlifting Championship], all she wanted to know was if I had made it to the Olympics. She still doesn’t know that I am going to Rio, so I need to go and tell her and see the smile on her face,” she related.
Al Beloushi will be participating in the 58kg category when the weightlifting competition gets under way at Riocentro Pavilion 2 from August 6. Competition in the 58kg category is scheduled to be organised from 10am on August 8.
“I owe this success big-time to the entire team. I could never have done this all alone,” Al Beloushi said.
The 2016 Asian Weightlifting Championships were held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from June 22-30. Initially, the UAE was placed seventh in the rankings with a tally of 81 points among the 14 countries that participated. However, after three nations dropped places, the UAE moved into fourth overall automatically earning a spot at the Rio Games.
“My teammates mean everything to me. They are my sisters, my soul-mates and my extended family. In fact, our motto before each competition has always been ‘one soul, one team’, and it is with this aim in mind that we will all continue to work even harder for the next few weeks before leaving for Rio,” she added.