UAE road race champion Safia Al Sayegh gears up for historic Olympic debut
Inspiration, hard work fuel her dream as she becomes first Emirati woman cyclist in Games
Dubai: UAE national champion Safia Al Sayegh is all geared for the biggest event of his lifetime — the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 26.
“I’m extremely excited to take part in the Olympics. For every athlete, in any sport, it’s a dream to represent your country at the Olympics. The Games are fantastic because they present so many opportunities for so many diverse participants,” the UAE Team ADQ rider told Gulf News. She is currently training in Italy with the team.
“Being with my teammates as they competed in Giro d’Italia was great. The infectious energy has put me in the right mindset. Also seeing Chiara Consonni win the second stage of the Giro was incredibly inspiring. I have daily mobility sessions with my physiotherapist and bike training sessions,” the 22-year-old UAE Road Race champion said while preparing for the August 4 showpiece.
“In the next few weeks, I will participate in the altitude training camp in France with UAE Team ADQ, as the team will be taking part in Tour de France.”
Historic achievement and role models
Al Sayegh is the first woman from the UAE to participate in the cycling event, and the recent success of her role model and UAE Team Emirates’ star Tadej Pogacar, who won his third Tour de France title on Sunday, will further boost her to achieve success at the Olympics.
“The UAE is known as a country where nothing is impossible. It is important to have the ambition, to be committed, and to consistently work hard,” Al Sayegh said. “There is a large movement in the UAE to empower women and encourage them to be seriously involved in sports, and our leadership is keen to support sporting talent. This support encourages us to develop, motivates us, and makes it easier for us to excel.”
Cycling’s growth in the UAE
Cycling has been making rapid strides in the UAE, thanks to the UAE Tour and the success of UAE Team ADQ and UAE Team Emirates, which have fuelled the dreams of many aspiring talents in the country.
Emirati cycling champion Yousif Mirza, the Arab and Asian cycling champion, who is currently the UAE national team’s coach, is a path-breaker for UAE cycling. He was the first UAE cycling champion to win the Asian Championship and he succeeded in qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“Apart from Mirza and Pogacar, a household name in the world of cycling, I consider cyclist Marta Bastianelli to be a sporting role model for me. She has been able to achieve a lot as a professional athlete and in her private life too. She was already a big name in cycling when she joined UAE Team ADQ in 2022. She got married and gave birth, and this didn’t stop her; instead, she developed further. This is an inspiring example for all young women in sports,” the Graphic Design graduate from American University in Dubai added.
Cycling and mental strength
For Al Sayegh, cycling is not just a sport or a hobby; it helps her to mentally stay strong in her studies and prepare for her university exams better.
“I tried many sports growing up, but settled on cycling about eight years ago. Cycling is an enjoyable sport that supports mental health, and not just physical health. It helped me overcome the pressures I was exposed to in coordinating training schedules, study times, and preparing for university exams. It helped me maintain focus and mental clarity so much so that it inspired my graduate research at university: ‘How Mental and Psychological Strength Can Be Harnessed to Foster Resilience.’ And that is exactly what cycling taught me, especially during races,” she added.
The UAE is participating in the Olympic Games for the 11th time, having started its participation in the 23rd edition in Los Angeles in 1984. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum won the gold medal in the double trap shooting, while Sergio Toma clinched the bronze in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Al Sayegh is part of a 14-strong UAE contingent competing in equestrian, judo, cycling, swimming and athletics.
Representing UAE at the Olympics
Being the UAE national champion, under the UCI guidelines, Al Sayegh is allowed to keep the UAE flag on her jersey, which also signifies how close the country is to her heart.
“In Paris, I look forward to meeting athletes from different countries, and taking the opportunity to introduce them to UAE culture. I believe that simply qualifying to participate in a major sporting event of this magnitude is sufficient in itself to say that Arab women have done a lot and achieved a lot in local and international sports,” Al Sayegh concluded.