Podium finish for Lamia at Emirates Cup
DUBAI: Competing against an international field packed with world stars, UAE gymnast Lamia Tariq Malallah made the country proud once again ater finishing on the podium in the 6th International Emirates Cup, which took place at the Danube Sports Complex in Dubai.
In the 2011 A Category, Lamia earned a grand total of 69.150 points to grab a spot on the podium. The best young gymnasts from Russia, Israel, Armenia, the USA, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Italy were in the fray at the three-day event.
Lamia,thenation’sonlyemiratirhythmicgymnast, batled hard to take third place behind Russian gymnasts Elizaveta Kirey and Kira Lablochnikova.
Lablochnikova clinched the top honours with a total of 80.900 points, including a score of 25.000, a ball score of 27.250, and a club score of 28.650.
Kirey finished second with a hoop score of 23.350, a ball score of 24.550, and clubs score of 21.700, totaling 69.600.
With her forte being her artistry and elements, UAE’S litle wonder performed with ease despite having to compete with gymnasts from Russia, a country that has a history of producing world and Olympic champions in the sport.
Lamia’s presence on the podium as the sole member of the country’s national team signals that the UAE can also compete with the best in the sport.
She is now looking forward to her next FIG competition in Spain next month.
“We are grateful for the support of the UAE National Olympic Commitee to select Lamia to represent the country and the General Sports Authority, which encourages Lamia to compete in more world games and raise the UAE flag,” said Lamia’s father, Tariq Ali Abdullah Malallah.
Last year, Lamia bagged gold at the inaugural edition of the Singapore International Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship.
Lamia, the only official national gymnast of the UAE, competed in this strong Asian championship right ater her win at the GCC Grand Series held in November 2022.
She also won first place in the hoop category of the GCC Grand Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship Dubai 2022, held at the Al Nasr Club.
The championship was organized by the Dubai Youth Olympic School of Rhythmic Gymnastics in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
It was the second international outing for the Emirati gymnast since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier in July last year, Lamia bagged gold at the Besiktas JK Cup gymnastics competition held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Lamia, whose first gold medal came at the age of six when she won the inaugural Dubai International Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in 2017, says she is fully focused on her goal to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games, which are scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal, in 2026.
She also bagged top honours at the International Rhythmic Gymnastics Youth Cup held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 2019.
Lamia also won gold medals at the 2017 Open GR Azur International in Nice, France, and at the 2018 Armonia Cup in Thessaloniki, Greece.
She followed this up with a silver medal at the 2017 Winter Cup in Leverkusen, Germany, and clinched a bronze at the prestigious Novogorsk Winter Cup in Moscow at the end of 2018.
At the age of five, when children are mostly atracted to electronic games and gadgets, Lamia decided to take up rhythmic gymnastics. Her father, Tariqaliabdullahmalallah,andmother,malaktariq Alfarsi, firmly supported their daughter’s decision.
They encouraged her to continue with the sport. Lamia has not disappointed them, as she has already won six international gold medals in addition to dominating local competitions.