The Power of Moms With Dreams
Lumbie Mlambo
A passionate young woman aiming to be a worldwide icon for empowering, inspiring and engaging young generations and women towards sports.
By – Shamrin Yaseer
Mariam Farid is a professional Qatari athlete. She represented her country at the 17th World Athletics IAAF Championships 2019, where she ran in the Women’s 400 metres hurdles and set a new personal best.
She achieved international recognition because she was one of the first female Qatari athletes to take part in the world championships. She had previously competed in the 200m in the junior world championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 2016.
“My goal is inspiring the younger generation, breaking down barriers, making people’s perception of how women are in the Middle East,” she said. We are not oppressed. I can still compete with my scarf on. If there is something I want to do, I will do it.” Said Mariam after the 2019 event.
Mariam, graduated at Northwestern University in Qatar which is one of the top 20 universities in the world and a member of the Qatar Athletics Federation team.
Mariam was an ambassador for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, a role which saw her travel to Monaco with representatives from Qatar’s government and other institutions. And she was the only ambassador with Mutaz Barshim, as the only female ambassador for the IAAF world championship representing Qatar.
“Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the IAAF World Athletics Championships,” she says. “This is an achievement and a source of pride for the Arab world, and it gave the Qatari community an opportunity to see their national team compete locally with some of the best athletics teams in the world, developing their passion for sport.
After Qatar was announced as the host of the Championship, the responsibility on its athletes became bigger. This was especially true for Mariam, the first female Qatari athlete to wear the hijab during competition.
“I’ve received many questions from the Western media about my participation while wearing the hijab, through which I was able to change the stereotypical view of Arab women who wear the hijab,” she says. “This was to inspire more girls and change the stereotype that girls in the Arab world are not able to play sports.
“The hijab has never been a hindrance to my success. It just makes me different from the other competitors.”
During her career, Mariam has participated in many local and international championships, setting records and winning medals in Gulf, Asian, and international tournaments.
“An athlete’s biggest competitor is themselves,” she says. “My passion to succeed leads me to do my best every time. This time, though, I outperformed myself, registering a new personal record -one minute and nine seconds.”
“Athletics is considered an individual sport. And as an athlete, I am supposed to be confident in myself, my skills, and my ability to achieve the best. Sport has made me stronger and more open to the world and has made me more persistent and ambitious.”
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/mariam_farid
