One of the most unusual participants of the winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk will be a skater from UAE Zahra Lari. 23-year-old athlete will be the first representative of his country at such competitions and will perform in hijab. Before the tournament Lari told RT how developed the figure skating in her country, what goals it sets itself and what qualities Russians Evgenia Medvedeva fascinate her.
- Reuters
- © Kim Kyung-Hoon
— What are your impressions from the participation in the winter Universiade?
I am very proud to appear here. I am the first athlete from the Emirates, which was in these winter competitions. Usually my countrywomen are in the summer. In the winter they have never competed.
— What impression have you left?
— A very beautiful city. Here a great atmosphere, but very cold. But all the participants — nice people.
— When you go out on the ice, set a number of records…
— Yes, I will be the first athlete from the UAE at the winter Universiade, the first skater of his country, and the first will be in hijab.
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— Have you encountered any difficulties as a sportswoman from United Arab Emirates?
— The biggest problem for us is the lack of rinks. We only have one special arena in Abu Dhabi. Another object intended for different winter sports, playing hockey. This is the maximum from what is available in the UAE. These difficulties are understandable, since I am the first athlete from the Emirates, which is engaged. When you do something for the first time, always facing challenges.
— The state support you?
— Of course, and supports all the girls who want to do something like that. Any woman can become the Ambassador of his country in the sporting world.
— What is the goal at the Universiade?
— How is it to skate their programs to improve the previous results. And in the future I will try to participate in the winter Olympics in 2022.
— Who is your favorite skater?
Is the Russian Medvedev. I like her skating, the courage that she shows on the ice. She loves sports and gives it all itself. Eugene said to all the skaters that athletes always have difficulties. However, the main thing is to love what you do. In this case, it is possible to achieve high results.
— Whose side were you on at the Olympic games in Pyeongchang — Evgeny Medvedev or Alina Sagitova?
— Sagitova — a great athlete who trains for many hours. They both deserved the gold.
- Reuters
- © Kim Kyung-Hoon
— What figure skating competition held in the UAE?
Cup Sports Academy of Fatima bint Mubarak — FBMA Trophy. Last year it was attended by athletes from 28 countries, more and more spectators want to watch the tournament, but the sport is still new in the UAE. We hope that in the future there will be more and invited members and our athletes. In addition, we have four times performed national competitions. In the United Arab Emirates skating involved about a hundred girls. Of course, it is not yet at the global level, but this is only the beginning. I want the next generation of girls also linked their lives with the sport as I am.
— How do people in your country react to your figure skating classes?
— Encourage and approve. Want I participated in the winter Olympic games. Me a lot of support in social networks, you can just see the store and say nice words. I believe in myself, but it would be difficult.
Do you have personal fans?
— Yes, in all competitions there are those who are worried about me. It is not only ordinary viewers, but also my competitors-skater — they come to me and ask that I continue playing sports. So I will try to get to the Olympics and achieve good results. When I went to Japan to participate in the winter Asian games, there were a lot of fans. A lot of them and here in Russia, not only in Krasnoyarsk.
— Receive messages from Russian fans?
Yes. They write that they are local and they support me.
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— How do you prepare for performance at the Universiade?
— My coach Alexandra Ievleva conducts training in accordance with the program. For example, on March 2, we were doing only the basic exercises, nothing complicated was not, as we only arrived yesterday.
— Preparing some special items for the Universiade?
— I will perform the triple loop in my program, I hope to do this successfully and to land correctly. Here I have some mistakes, but I hope to fix them in Abu Dhabi after the Universiade, so as not to repeat them in the future.
— Would you still participate in competitions in Russia?
— If it is, then I will speak. Here are very big competitions, this sport in Russia is incredibly strong. I hope I will come here. Maybe even practice in the summer. This will give an incredible experience.
— What is the most difficult in training and what do you like most about them?
— Unlike the competition, they always give pleasure. On the tournament felt a very strong power. But before training starts is always interesting to me. The hardest part for me is to get used to the weather, snow, terrain. It is always hard to compete, not only here at the Universiade. But during each session I feel great. Proud of the emblem of the Emirates on my form.