When you first meet Zahra Lari, it is hard to imagine the petite, soft-spoken demeanour hides an adventurous streak that didn’t need much persuasion to sign on for stunt that saw her suspended from a helicopter, 250 meters above the highest vantage point on the Palm Jumeirah as she plunged on to the The Palm Tower’s still unopened deck on the 54th floor to do what she does best — skate her heart out.
Lari, who has earned the accolade as the first Emirati figure skater, threw caution to the wind as she landed, skates first on Nakheel’s The Next Level observation deck that had been transformed into a makeshift ice rink for the Emirati trailblazer to perform the axel, the loop and other jumps with gleeful abandon.
A day after her daredevil stunt, Lari sat down with Gulf News, two floors down at The View, beaming as she looked out on the vista of the archipelago that lay before us. Her position of power is one that’s well earned for the first Emirati figure skater who has had to smash her way through several glass ceilings, not just on the home front, but also on an international level where a woman of hijab had never taken to an ice rink to represent her country.
Setbacks were aplenty, with Lari even having points deducted in competition for daring to wear the hijab. “But it never stopped me; I still competed. I fought for what I believed in and now they’ve put in the rules that ladies are allowed to wear a hijab,” the proud 27-year-old told us.
With a new accolade now to add to her growing list of achievements, Lari spoke to us about her helicopter stunt, life on the ice and her goal of representing the UAE at the Winter Olympics one day.
Q. Zahra, you seem extremely satisfied with the outcome of your stunt. And the footage has been amazing. Tell us a little bit about what it actually entailed?
As figure skater I have often competed worldwide but it was an opportunity to compete with myself. How far could I go? So I did a really cool project with Nakheel, that was to skate on the 54th floor on an open deck that was turned into a temporary ice rink.
There was a helicopter that I was attached to, which was flown over the deck and I was put down on the rink to do what I love to do, and have a great view to boot. I can safely say the adrenaline charge was at 100 per cent. It was really fun.
Q. Were you nervous at any point? Being suspended from a helicopter 250 meters above the ground is no easy feat.
Skating is my comfort zone and that always puts me at ease. So when I landed on that rink, I forgot all else and it was just me skating, doing my tricks and performing.
Q. You say skating is your comfort zone. But was it ever considered a strange one to pursue, considering you grew up in a country that is also known for its desert landscape, which is literally the last place you would think of pursuing a winter sport?
You could say that. But I started skating pretty late in life. I was 12 years old and had just watched a movie about ice skating and it was love at first sight. So I went into the rink the next day and fell many a times, but I got back up again and I didn’t give up. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, I skate internationally and am sitting before you today after performing a stunt I could never have imagined. I think I am lucky I saw the ‘Ice Princess’ as a 12-year-old. It changed my life.
Q. Figure skating is a niche sport in itself, but the hurdles multiply when you take into account the cultural barriers that come with pursuing the sport in a traditionally conservative society. How did you deal with roadblocks?
Of course, the hurdles were definitely there. But I always say, no matter what career you choose, there are always going to be obstacles. In my case, as the first Emirati figure skater, I was the first one to follow this route, so I took all the punches. But I was insistent and didn’t give up.
And I didn’t just do it for me but women all over the world, for Emirati women especially and to show the world that we are strong and we can accomplish anything we put our minds to and we too can raise the UAE flag internationally.
Q. You reference punches. What do you mean by this?
At the beginning, especially when you are the first, people don’t know much about the sport. I had to really focus on creating awareness, going to school and teaching people about the sport in general. We are in a desert country and ice skating is hardly something that figures in. My major challenge was to make people understand figure skating is not dancing but an actual Olympics sport. It was because culturally, they [didn’t approve of me] performing before an audience that has men. But now more people are accepting and understanding, and I’ve a lot of support within and outside the country. And if you look today, we have opened up our own skating club and we have members all over the UAE.
Q. How supportive has your family been through it all?
I am very lucky because my family has been super supportive of what I do. My mum, dad and my brother are all supportive because if they weren’t, I wouldn’t have been able to reach where I am today. It’s because of their hard work, I am where I am.
Q. As a Muslim woman in sport who wears a hijab, have you ever faced pressure or bias?
There is a lot of pressure and as I am getting older and my name is growing, that pressure is only increasing. But I have learned to enjoy it all, maintain my focus and not worry about what other people think.
To be honest, I am getting so much support, not just from my country, but from all over the world now. Everywhere I travel, I get messages of support on social media. Of course, you will get the one or two negative comment, but I just ignore it and I don’t focus on the negativity. I want to have fun while skating and focus on my happiness.
Q. Is there still frustration that biases exist against sportswomen in hijab?
Life is changing and people are becoming more supportive in sports. The rules are changing for women that are covered and it’s not like before how it was. People are separating religious affiliations from sport and that is encouraging women everywhere.
I mean, if you look at the UAE alone, women from here are representing their nation in every sport possible. Football, horse riding, think of it and women are doing it.
And this isn’t limited to the field of sport. There are women CEOs, ministers, doctors… We are showing the world that Emirati women are strong.
Q. With any competitive sport, one has to deal with setbacks as well. What’s your mantra?
I think it comes with experience. At the beginning of course I was upset about losing, but I know that it’s normal in any competitive sports. There are good days and bad days and I am human, so when things don’t go the way I want them to go, I just try harder.
In competition, I always try my best and don’t focus on the medal or coming first. The most important thing is that I am satisfied with how I performed, my coach is satisfied and I think that’s my aim, when I come off the ice, that I am happy with what I have presented. And whether the results are fair or not, I really don’t care.
Q. What’s your daily practice routine like?
We have to have a day off after an intense practice day or I would go insane. But I essentially practice on the ice for 1.5 hours and then head off for training off ice, which will include choreography, fitness, stretching and weightlifting.
Q. Is there a tournament you are practicing for right now?
My calendar is empty due to COVID-19 so I am using the time to enjoy skating because when things are normal, you are constantly practicing for the next competition and don’t have the luxury to just enjoy the sport. In a way, COVID-19 made me get my passion back on the ice.
Q. Every athlete works their way towards a goal. What’s yours?
My goal has always been to go to the Olympics and represent my country. We weren’t able to go through the qualifications round in 2021 because of COVID-19 but I still hope I’ve made my country proud so far. I have broken a lot of barriers already so I think I have accomplished a lot.
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What do we know about The Palm Jumeirah’s highest vantage point?
The Next Level is the new 360-degree observation deck, located two floors above The View at The Palm. The Palm Tower deck is private viewing space featuring unobstructed, barrierless, panoramic vistas of Palm Jumeirah, the Arabian Gulf and Dubai’s skyline located 250 metres above ground to become the highest vantage point on Palm Jumeirah.
The ticketed hotspot opens on February 1 with prices starting at Dh175 for adults and Dh120 for kids aged four to 12.
A VIP experience, starting at Dh325 for adults and Dh145 for kids aged four to 12 includes a fast track access to The View on Level 52 and The Next Level, a guided tour and VIP lounge access where a house beverage or a bubbly drink, Arabic sweets and snacks are served.
The View at The Palm is open from 9am to 10pm from Monday to Thursday and 9am to 12am from Friday to Sunday.
