Egyptian duo Zeinab Oteify and Nawal Ramadan, and Ukraine's Lidlia Soloviova secured gold in the opening session of the 6th Fazza IPC Powerlifting World Cup Dubai 2015 which got under way at Dubai Club for the Disabled on Sunday March 15.
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, it is organised and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) and Dubai Club for the Disabled with the support of the Dubai Sports Council and UAE Paralympic Committee.
Ramadan won the Women Open 41 category with a best lift of 94kgs followed by Baddour Noyra (Syria) and Maryna Kopika (Ukraine).
“It's a difficult tournament but I was determined to win,” said the 22 year-old who has been engaged in the sport since the age of 16 with the support of her family and friends.
The 6th Fazza IPC Powerlifting World Cup Dubai 2015 has attracted 133 athletes from 24 countries.
Ramadan's more accomplished compatriot Gihan Abdelaziz had to settle for silver in the Women Open 50 category being pipped by two-time Olympic gold medallist Ukraine's Soloviova who had a best lift of 102kgs, two more than the Egyptian.
Mozah Alzeyoudi of Khorfakkan Club for the Disabled became the first Emirati to get on the podium when she won the bronze medal in the Women Open 50 event with a lift of 60kgs.
“I'm very happy though my aim was to win gold,” said Mozah who has been training for the past one year.
Toule Kholnazarov, coach of Khorfakkan Club for the Disabled, said the two sisters Moza and Maryam Alzeyoudi have come a long although they are new to the sport.
He said Abdullah Naqbi and Saif Al Zaabi are the "rising stars" of UAE.
IPC World Championship gold medallist and 2008 Paralympics bronze medallist Oteify won the Women Open 45 category with a best lift of 97kgs from Raisa Toporkova (Ukraine) and Sakina Khatun (India).
The Fazza championships which will continue until Wednesday March 18, has attracted athletes from Azerbaijan, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Thailand, Egypt, Slovakia, Syria, France, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Netherlands, India, Mongolia, Poland, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Hungary, Ivory Coast and hosts United Arab Emirates.
Each day of competition is scheduled to begin at 10.30am followed by medal ceremonies.
Suad Darwish, Director of Championships at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center is confident the organising committee will leave no stone unturned to make the event a success.
“The Fazza Championships since its inception brings out the best in these group of athletes. This IPC Powerlifting event has attracted world class players reflecting the importance of the Fazza Championships which is looked forward to around the world,” she said.
“The aim of hosting this Championships is to give an opportunity for disabled athletes in UAE to get an opportunity to compete with the best in the world. It also allows us to showcase the cultural heritage of the country through sports," she added.
This is the fourth championship under the umbrella of the Fazza Championships for People with Disability to be held this season, after the Fazza National Championships for People with Disability, Fazza International Para-Archery Competition, Fazza International Athletics IPC Grand Prix Dubai 2015, which witnessed the participation of around 500 athletes.
The Fazza International Championship for Boccia is due to be held in April, followed by Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Championships in May.
