Cheers lift Emirati runner to gold medal in 1,500-metre race
Emirati distance runner Mariam Al Zaabi sped to first place in the 1,500-metre race at New York University Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Despite the gruelling feat, Al Zaabi said she was not tired from her gold medal-winning exertion after the race.
“I was so excited with the crowd cheering me from the stands. I’m training all the time with my coach, who helps me get faster,” she said.
Track finals and football wrapped up the final day of sporting events for the Special Olympics IX Mena Games in the capital yesterday.
Bahrain won the 4x100 metres women’s relay, powered to gold by sprinter Aysha Al Subei, who ran the anchor leg.
The UAE’s Hamda Al Hosani’s speed on the final leg secured silver, while the Tunisian team took the bronze.
In the men’s relay, Libya took the gold medal, followed by Tunisia and the UAE.
Groups of school pupils were among the spectators in the stands on the final day and their loud cheers of “UAE, UAE” rang across the field every time the host nation competed.
During the relay, athletes exchanged the baton and encouraging pats on the back to spur the next sprinter on.
In the men’s 100m race, Seddine Al Tahir of Algeria took home the gold.
There was disappointment for the UAE in football, as Bangladesh took the game with a goal from Mohammed Jewel.
That score put Bangladesh ahead in the second half and it was enough to win a fastpaced division one game.
The athletes with intellectu-
al disabilities are divided into teams depending on their skill and abilities.
The Games, which were held at eight venues across Abu Dhabi, included many first-time competitors in badminton.
Debutant Malik Najm from Iraq first picked up a racquet eight months ago.
“I feel so happy to be representing my country and getting a chance to interact with other champions,” Najm said.
Majed Shallar from Syria competed for the first time in the Special Olympics.
“It feels great to be a part of such a large sporting event and meeting talented people,” Shallar said.
Others, such as Roumaissa Zerouki from Algeria, have participated before.
“I have been an active badminton player for the past 10 years. This is my second time at the Special Olympics,” Zerouki said.
Canadian Charles Muir did not begin tenpin bowling to win or with an eye on the Special Olympics – he got into the sport to make friends.
Muir said he was tired of being left at home so the local bowling alley became his favourite spot.
A member of the Canadian bowling team invited to the Special Olympics IX Mena Games, he found his circle of friends expanding with his interest in the sport.
“My sister would go out with her friends and I just sat at home doing nothing. I decided to make myself busy so I started bowling,” said Muir, an all-round athlete from Ontario who also competes in hockey, basketball, football and baseball.
“Hockey is probably my favourite sport because I practise with my father and he used to take me with him when he was playing with his team,” he said.
A tour of the capital with a taste of the cultural offerings of the UAE is lined up for the athletes today.
They will say goodbye to each other and celebrate a wellfought competition at the closing ceremony scheduled for tomorrow evening.