BREAKING BARRIERS, ALIA HOGS LIMELIGHT
UAE’s Alia Al Zaabi, draped in red, was apple of everyone’s eye at the ninth Special Olympics MENA Games 2018 Abu Dhabi. On a day when Emirati athletes triumphed in various events, Alia managed to come on top in arguably one of the toughest sports — gymnastics.
The-16-year-old ended up with rich haul of one gold and three bronze medals in Level-2 of the artistic gymnastics events. And surprisingly this was her first step into the competitive world of gymnastics.
Alia was a bundle of energy on the podium. Her brother Jassim and support staff cheered her throughout as she visited the podium not less than four times.
According to her family and support staff, Alia was a born leader, who knew how and when to raise voice and stand up for her rights. And over the years, a determined Alia has managed to overcome her disability of Down’s Syndrome.
Today, Saeed Khalfan Al Zaabi and Heather Weimer are proud parents. Alia’s mother Heather said her daughter always liked parks, playgrounds and especially monkey bars. Taking about the shift to the sport of gymnastics, Heather said it was a trip to the US, which turned out to be a game-changer.
“I attended a conference for special needs children in the US. They said there’s a close connection between physical activity and intelligence. And the best sport for special needs children is gymnastics as it develops the brain.”
It was then that Heather enrolled Alia into Little Stars Gymnastics Club based in Al Nahda National School for Girls.
Club owner and head coach Taya Baydoun recollected Alia walking into Little Stars Gymnastics. “She came for vacation classes. At the start she was tripping over. And today she has made such a big achievement. She put extra efforts and got good support from her family. We are just helpers,” Taya put things in a modest way.
“There were several children with special needs who gave up after few days or months but Alia was determined to succeed. She is very smart and strong girl. She is the real star for the UAE in gymnastics,” said Taya, who has been in Abu Dhabi since 1990.
Alia also gets help from her coach Nadiia. “She is an amazing girl. Even normal girls can’t do what she is doing. We did everything from start,” Nadiia said.
However, on the day things didn’t go as per plan for Alia. She was set to participate in just three categories — vault, uneven bars and floor but was told to do balance beam.
“It was during the warm-up that we were told that she has to do balance beam. It was then that Nadiia stepped in and taught Alia the event in two hours. And she did it without any mistake. This just proves as to how intelligent she is,” Taya, who has her own special needs child, pointed out.
“During the competition, Alia stole the hearts of the audience. Unfortunately there’s no other competition for these children to participate. We are looking forward to the 2019 Special Olympics World Games. We will also look into rhythmic gymnastics,” Taya said as Alia helper’s Helen walked into saying it’s time for celebrations.
Success stories like Alia offer hope to more determined minds to prove themselves.