2 UAE students, a powerlifter, and a champion boxer, reveal how sport moulded their personality

Imran Fulat, 21

Powerlifter

The complexities of the legal system are not the only things British expat Imran Fulat, LLB student of at Middlesex University Dubai, has conquered. He is a professional powerlifter who has been placed among the Top 10 in various championships in UK and UAE. His current best lifts are Squat 275kg; Bench press 172.5kg; Deadlift 285kg.

Having started powerlifting at the age of 15, he started competing professionally by the age of 18. ‘The sport has taught me that discipline is of the utmost importance in life. It has taught me to be consistent and persevere even when faced with challenges and obstacles. This has also helped me in my studies when I’m faced with topics I don’t understand,’ he says.

The pandemic shutdown caused him to take a nearly three-year break from powerlifting and set him on a path of resilience and rediscovery.

‘I found comfort in amateur boxing during this time, but my heart was on the powerlifting stage,’ he says.

He returned to the powerlifting scene with renewed vigour in 2022, and managed to secure a surprising overall third place in the Summer Greater London Divisionals.

Another notable experience was at The British Junior Nationals 2023 competition since he had arrived just the day before the competition and his energy levels were severely affected by a delayed flight. ‘On the day of the competition, I had to make a crucial choice about my weight selections. It required me to carefully calculate and trust my intuition. It was a test of both my physical and mental power. Despite my best efforts, I had a deadlift attempt. I had overshot it, and the close call prevented me from earning a spot two spots higher,’ he recollects.

An important lesson he learnt from this event was how to make crucial choices under duress.

He is currently preparing to compete in the upcoming first Asian University Championships here in the UAE here he will be representing Middlesex University Dubai.

Ziad Wael Hamz, 20

Boxer

Having started boxing at the age of 12, Egyptian expat Ziad started taking the sport seriously at 16, when he entered the UAE national tournament and won a gold medal. Currently a BA honours student of Business Management at Middlesex University, Ziad is UAE’s 81 kg and 75 kg Men’s Boxing National Champion for the third time consecutively. Zaid also has the distinction of winning 3-0 in all knockouts within the first minute of the first round of every single professional bout.

Zaid asserts that the sport has instilled in him the values of discipline, commitment, balance and respect.

However, his challenge lies when he is constantly being placed against his teammates with whom he trains alongside every single day. ‘I have conditioned myself to believe that in the ring there are no friends nor emotions, it is just the game,’ he says.

His plans are to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in business, and continue his professional boxing career internationally.