With the Olympics around the corner, there will be a lot of interest from the UAE to see how our athletes perform. One person hoping for success is Amna Al Haddad , the 26-year-old Emirati weightlifter. 

She has created history by becoming the first Emirati and GCC national to compete in the Asia Regionals and the first and only Muslim woman to do so in a headscarf.

Now she features in the Nike Inner Strenght campaign. Her story is remarkable in that she was depressed and overweight before she started training, and this road has led who to hopefully representing the UAE in Rio at this summer’s games. ‘Inner Strength’ is a documentary series that captures the inspiration and motivation that drive Nike athletes in their training.

You can follow Amna’s journey on her social media channels. 

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‘I was depressed and a few pounds overweight’

“Before all this, I was depressed and a few pounds overweight, then there was a day where I was like, ‘You can do much more than this. You can be better than this.’ So, I said to myself, ‘Go and do something. Go for a walk.’ And that’s what I did. I went for a walk and that changed my life. From there, I started going to the gym normally and then I got into CrossFit, which changed my view of strength sports for women, and I just fell in love with weightlifting.”  

Nike Inner Strength Campaign, 2016

Amna competes wearing a head scarf

Part of the Nike Inner Strength Campaign

Almost there…