Heroes from the Emirates/success stories that do not know the impossible (5)

Abu Dhabi, June 21 / WAM / UAE sports continues to consolidate its presence on the continental and global scene through champions who created inspiring success stories, through which they confirmed that great achievements begin with a dream that turns, with work and diligence, into a reality that enhances the country’s presence and excellence in various sporting forums.

This report comes within a series of weekly reports broadcast by the Emirates News Agency, WAM, to showcase the inspiring stories of heroes that motivate their colleagues to represent the country in the best way and win medals.

In the sports of taekwondo, Paralympic athletics, jiu-jitsu and cycling, a number of Emirati athletes stand out who succeeded in overcoming challenges and turning their passion for sports into a career full of achievements, relying on family and institutional support that provided them with the appropriate environment to shine and excel.

Taekwondo player Amna Al-Loughani is considered one of the most prominent emerging players, having won silver in the Kazakhstan International Taekwondo Championship, classified as “G1” in 2025, and silver in the Fujairah International Open Championship, classified as “G2”, and contributed to the UAE national team winning gold in the Fourth Gulf Games in Doha in 2026.

Al-Loughani confirmed that her mother and grandmother were her biggest supporters through their attendance at tournaments and their continuous support, explaining that sports contributed to enhancing discipline and organizing her time, and established the values ​​of self-confidence, persistence, and determination, so she could continue her pursuit of achieving her dream of becoming a world and Olympic champion.

She pointed out that the biggest challenge in her career was reconciling studies with intense training and maintaining the weights required for competitions, but she overcame these difficulties with the support of her family and coaches.

In sports for people of determination, Emirati champion Maryam Al Zeyoudi continues to write new chapters in her distinguished career, after winning more than 40 gold medals in 8 years, becoming one of the most prominent stars of Paralympic sports in the country.

Al-Zeyoudi belongs to the Khor Fakkan Club for the Disabled, and was crowned the best Paralympic athlete in the Fatima Bint Mubarak Women’s Sports Award for the year 2024. She achieved a series of notable achievements, most notably the gold at the World Athletics Championships in Japan in 2024, and the gold at the Asian Paralympics in China in 2023, in addition to topping the discus throw competitions at the Fazza International Athletics Championships for People of Determination 2026. In addition, she ranked fourth in the shot put competitions during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Al-Zeyoudi confirmed that winning the Best Paralympic Athlete award gave her additional motivation to continue her achievements, especially after her failure to win the award during the 2023 edition, noting that she began preparing early to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

She added that sport was her most important means of social integration and self-provement, stressing that people of determination in the Emirates enjoy exceptional support that has contributed to their reaching international podiums.

In the sport of jiu-jitsu, Khaled Al-Shehhi continues to consolidate his position among the most prominent stars of the game at the continental and global levels, after winning a number of gold medals in major international tournaments, including the 62 kg gold at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships in the Thai capital Bangkok in 2025, the gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Rome for the professional black belt category, and the gold at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya in 2026, in addition to the gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games. In Saudi Arabia in 2025.

The most prominent achievement in Al Shehhi’s career remains winning gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou 2023, after he had previously won gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta 2018, confirming his status as one of the most prominent jiu-jitsu stars in the world.

Al Shehhi stressed that jiu-jitsu is a sport full of challenges and lessons, and that every experience or loss was an incentive to return stronger and more determined to achieve success.

In cycling, Youssef Mirza stands out as one of the names that contributed to making a new history of the game at the state level, after he began his sports career in 1999, becoming the first Emirati cyclist to participate in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, and the first Emirati professional in the Emirates Cycling Team.

Mirza achieved many historical achievements, including gold in the points race at the Asian Track Championships in New Delhi, gold at the Islamic Solidarity Championship in Turkey, gold at the Asian Track Cup in Thailand, in addition to gold at the 2018 Asian Games and silver at the 2019 Asian Road Championships. He also ranked eighth in the world in the track classification in 2022, ensuring qualification to the World Championships in France.

Mirza stressed that his career spanning more than 24 years gave him extensive experience that he now seeks to pass on to new generations, through his position as sports director of the Emirates Team “XRG” and his membership in the Board of Directors of the Cycling Federation.

He believes that determination and the spirit of challenge were the main factors in his sporting journey that started from Dubai and reached the international podiums.

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