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UAE Olympian Nada has swimmingly good time

Dubai - Returning from the Rio Olympics, Al Bedwawi told Khaleej Times over the phone how proud she was to become the first UAE female Olympian swimmer.

Taking up different sports from a young age, an Emirati teenager found it best to express herself through swimming. 
Little did the 19-year-old Nada Al Bedwawi know that her favorite sport would someday take her to the Olympics. 
Returning from the Rio Olympics, Al Bedwawi told Khaleej Times over the phone how proud she was to become the first UAE female Olympian swimmer. 
"It is hard to explain, but it is that emotional connection that you have with a sport or art form that you find yourself through," she said in an exclusive interview to Khaleej Times.  
Al Bedwawi took part in the 50-metre freestyle swimming at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. She said the experience was that of a lifetime. 
 "I learned a lot of things from being surrounded by international coaches and swimmers. Now I know new swimming techniques, different ways of practicing and the details that make a swimming champion." 
Her selection for the Olympics was during last year's championship in Russia where her performance stood out and the swimming federation nominated her. 
Luckily, she was the chosen one. 
"The best compliment I have received was from my Emirati friends who told me how much pride they have felt seeing me raise the flag during the Olympics." 
She added that over the next few days, she will meet with the national coaching team to come up with a workout plan that would help her hone her skills. She said she will focus on dry workouts at the gym, while monitoring her diet, steps that she did not take before the Olympics. 
The New York University in Abu Dhabi student now has her eyes set on Tokyo Olympics in 2020. 
"For my short-term goals, I will keep participating in national and regional competitions over the next few years to gain experience." 
She added, "In five years time, I will expect to see results. Even if I did not win the next Olympics, I will surely get the one after it. By that time I will be 27 years old, which is the peak age for swimmers." 
Currently training for 1-2 hours daily, she said her new plan will be converting her workout in a more effective manner. Focusing on freestyle, she said she will expand her experience to butterfly style. 
The Asian Championship in Japan in November is her next goal, along with the 13^th FINA World Swimming Championship in Canada next December. 
With her mother as her biggest cheerleader, the teenager said women have to follow their dreams and focus on sports and arts. 
"We live in a society that gives much emphasis on academics and scientific achievements, but I believe we can do much more through including sports and arts in our lives," she said. 
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

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