“You are the leader of your story”

Amna al-Haddad’s story is an inspirational one — it’s an account of how a life can be changed from the ordinary to becoming a ‘game-changer’. Amna is an Olympic weightlifting athlete, the first Arab woman to compete in Crossfit, and a woman of many firsts.
In pursuit of a dream to participate at the Olympics in Rio in weightlifting, she joined her fellow UAE team members in competing at the Asian Championships Olympics qualifier in Uzbekistan. Despite her injuries, she persevered and her participation led to the UAE team gaining more qualifying points, which were a defining factor in the UAE weightlifting team making it through to Rio; her injuries however, prevented her from further participation.
She was recently honoured with the 2016 sports award at the prestigious Arab Woman Awards UAE; these awards are held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan.
Amna’s accomplishments are not limited to the sports arena. Her list of achievements is quite impressive: she was among eight incredible women selected by the Clinton Foundation for their ‘No Ceilings’ campaign; and has starred in Ray-Ban’s Middle East campaign, “Tough as Leather”. Amna has been featured in Nike’s global campaign, “Better for It” and documentary Inner Strength, Raising the Bar (which for the very first time featured a woman).
Amna has made news on quite a few occasions; her story was shared on CNN in the hope of inspiring more women to pursue their passion. Amna has also been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and Forbes Middle East. She is a motivational speaker and an avid supporter of youth and women empowerment. She is currently writing a book.
Following a recent visit to Qatar, Amna shared some of her experiences with Community, as she looked back at some of the obstacles that came her way and how she overcame them.

Tell us something about yourself…
“Journalist-turned-weightlifter” is how I am often referred to. In reality, my journey to fitness, sports, strength training, and weightlifting commenced before my tryst with journalism. It all began when I was a 19-year-old at university, leading an unhealthy lifestyle. I had no motivation, ate loads of junk food and suffered from depression. One day, I just decided things needed to change, I simply said “enough is enough” and from there on, I embarked on a health journey. I decided to make a complete turnaround in my life and there was no turning back. I soon got into Crossfit and weightlifting and went on to make history.  

Share with us some of your achievements…
I am blessed and feel grateful that I have a good list of achievements, both in journalism and the world of sports. I was one of the first Emirati journalists to have worked for an Abu-Dhabi based English newspaper in the UAE, about five years ago. It was at that point that I fell in love with sports; I soon quit my job to make history by becoming the first Arab woman to compete in the Reebok Crossfit Asia Regionals in Seoul, South Korea.
Then, I decided to take on Olympic weightlifting with the goal of representing the UAE at the Olympics. This dream was achieved through a team effort, where the UAE qualified for Rio. A few months ago, I was awarded the Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowship for Mental Health, a US-based programme instituted by the Carter Centre; the programme was introduced in the UAE for the first time. As recently as last month, I received the Arab Woman Award 2016 in the Sports category.

Being the first female Olympic weightlifter from the GCC has its moments of glory but you must have had a fair share of challenges. What were some of the obstacles you had to face?
I am the first professional competitive weightlifter in the GCC to compete with the Hijab. There was a lot of rejection and confusion from the community at first; there were a lot of nay-sayers and those who did not understand my journey as a woman from the GCC — lifting weights. Being taken seriously was the hardest — companies did not support me, my goal, or my ambition. It was difficult to raise funds (as I had quit my full-time job in journalism, at that point to pursue my Olympic dream). But I persisted and kept working hard to do the best I could within my means.
The fact is this journey was a lot more than just a personal accomplishment in fitness or sports. Today, it has paved the way to create a change in society. In the last few years, women have begun feeling a sense of being empowered to embrace their bodies and their strengths. At a broad level, sport is becoming a norm in society for women, in the region today.

Tell us about your experiences with Nike’s ‘Inner Strength’ campaign...
Being the first woman  globally to be featured on ‘Inner Strength’ was a great honour and a very humbling experience. I am thankful to Nike for giving me the opportunity to be part of this documentary series. What I loved about it is that the whole video was 100% real. Nothing was shot to create any effects.
The lines of pain you see on my face were the results of actual lifting sessions; the jokes, the laughter — they were all real and as raw as it could get. I am glad that big brands are noting the power of everyday people, especially from the Arab world who make a great impact.

One of your most remarkable accomplishments is your fight against depression. Share with us what happened…
I have spoken openly about dealing with depression in the past. As teens, we go through several changes in our lives, not to mention the confusion and the chemical imbalances; in my case I succumbed to depression. My fight with the condition was a huge learning experience and I got out of it by taking action toward a better future. As a result of my own experience, I believe it is important that we equip ourselves with the knowledge and ability to spot someone who is dealing with depression, anxiety, or any other mental illnesses and to help them.

You are an inspirational speaker, speaking at universities, events and forums. What do you enjoy talking about?
My talks are often tailored to the requirements of the group I am invited to address, but it is always driven from my own experience as a pioneer in sports. I talk about overcoming obstacles, dealing with failure, and getting past fear to achieve your dreams. I always include stories and real life experiences, with a touch of humour.
Entertaining people, inspiring them through my own journey, and empowering them to believe that they too can achieve remarkable goals, is something I love to do.

Do you see yourself as a role model?
I must say, that role chose me before I chose it. I know I have become a role model to both men and women – people contact me from across the globe, intrigued about me being a Muslim female athlete. My responsibility is to show that you can change your direction in life, whenever you want. You are the leader of your story, and obstacles are hidden opportunities waiting to be unlocked. It will take courage; rejections, nay-sayers, and negativity are part of the journey, but in the end you can rise. You can be the one on top of the mountain, and become the person that people come to, to ask “how?” rather than “why?”
I am someone who strives towards an exceptional future. I am currently working on a number of projects, all with the aim of raising tolerance, understanding, and kindness in the community — through motivational speeches, my writing, and the use of social media.

Lessons learnt from life…
 “It will all happen at the right time, for you. If it is not happening, it is either because it is not yours, or not yours yet.”