5-year-old Lamia makes a mark in rhythmic gymnastics

Lamia being trained by her coach Natalia Sokolova

When you talk of gymnastics you normally associate this sport with countries like Russia, the US and Romania. And, when it comes to women gymnasts - names like Nadia Comaneci, Simone Biles, Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun - immediately come to mind. All of them made the Olympics their home.
If all goes well, the UAE could have its very own Nadia Comaneci in the years to come. Yes, we are talking of the talented five-year-old Lamia Tariq Malallah. The petite Emirati girl was the cynosure of all eyes at the inaugural Dubai International Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships where she bagged top honours from among a strong field of more than 220 gymnasts who came from Europe and other GCC countries.
Oblivious of the news she has generated these past couple of days, Lamia continues to train at the New Horizon School for three to four hours a day with the same zeal that earned her the gold medal on Friday.
In order to keep her away from the limelight her mother Malak took away her medal and trophy and ensured she didn't see her pictures in the newspapers.
Lamia has two ambitions in life. One is to meet His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the second is to be the first UAE woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
"Ironically, they (Shaikh Mohammed and Lamia) share the same interest - horse riding and love for animals," confirmed her mother.
But why did Lamia take up gymnastics when the sport is not so popular in this part of the world.
"Well, from the age of two she was quite flexible. At that age she used to climb things which would scare us. She was very bouncy and would be all over the place. At that point in time I was looking for something in gymnastics but I didn't know how to go about it because there were not many rhythmic gymnastics schools in the UAE. And I didn't want it to be just as an activity for Lamia.
"Time passed by but just before Lamia could turn 5 in May I stumbled upon an advertisement on Facebook and came across Ksenia Dzhalaganiya's gymnastics school. But she had trials for Lamia and was very particular about taking only 'top of the talent' students.
"When Lamia was at the trials, Ksenia (the founder of Youth Olympic school of rhythmic gymnastics) didn't know about her nationality and found her to be very flexible. From the beginning they noticed her potential and kept pushing her.
"Sometimes when you see the training it's very rigorous to be honest. The Russian way of teaching is at a different level. The thing is your child has to be able to cope with that. Your child will cry and say she does not want to do this and that. Lamia too went through it. In the initial stages she would cry at home, cry in the night in her sleep, it was like a nightmare, but as parents we just kept encouraging her."
Lamia is three to four kilos underweight for her age and that surely worries her mother?
"Yes," she said. "She takes two hours to eat. I pack bird's food for her lunch box but she eats fruits and porridge. But maybe because she is underweight she is able to take up this sport.
"To be honest for a 5-year-old to dedicate herself to do three to four hours of training, to go through the pain, it's not a joke. There are other 5-year-olds but they have not reached her expertise," said the proud mother.
Malak was all praise for Lamia's coaches Natalia Sokolova and Ksenia. "The coaches are very qualified, they know exactly what the technicalities are. They know how much to push the child and when to stop."
She also thanked Lamia's school for being considerate in letting her daughter leave a little earlier than the scheduled schooling hours so as to reach in time for her training.
What next now for Lamia?
"Firstly, we would like her to represent the UAE at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and after that to target the Olympics.
"We are also looking at going to Europe somewhere in March for further training and competitions," added Malak.
Lamia's future in the sport looks bright now as the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has registered her on their development programme.
And with the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) showing keen interest in charting her course, Malak says Lamia could probably have her own team at the Olympics some day.
clareto@khaleejtimes.com