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INSPIRATIONAL disabled athlete Fatema Abdulrazzaq Nedham, who has overcome adversity through sport, has the hopes of a nation resting on her strong shoulders as she takes part in the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games being held in London at the end of the month.
The Games are an international multi-sporting event, where athletes with physical disabilities compete, including those with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness and Cerebral Palsy.
Nedham, who was born without legs and is missing three fingers on each hand, is determined to do the kingdom proud in the discus and javelin throw events when the 12-day Games begin on August 29.
Her coach Abdulla Hasan Dakheel has high hopes for her and believes she is on her way to being a champion.
He said: “The first time she tried out was in 2000 at one of the many local tournaments staged at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa. She had arrived with her friend and seemed eager to take part.
“We immediately took notice of her especially when we saw her passion and skills. We knew she was meant for that sport and set out to find her after the tournament to join the Bahrain Disabled Sports
“She used to be quite shy and reserved when she first started competing but after taking part in regional and international tournaments including the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, and 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, her attitude completely changed and she became a lot more confident. It’s as though she began to grow before our eyes.”
The events for the games are divided into different classes (F - Field and T - Track) based on the degree of disability. For example, classes F31 to 38 are for competitors with Cerebral Palsy who can use a wheelchair to compete if required. Nedham will be competing in the F53 class, which covers wheelchair racers or field athletes who throw from a seated position.
No stranger to adversity, Nedham’s road to the Games has been paved with challenges and uncertainty. She was only selected to take part at the last minute as a ‘wild card’ based on previous performances.
Since she was unaware she would be competing in the Games until recently, she had six months of training to catch up on. She had spent her time working at the government-run Isa Town Rehabilitation Centre selling handicrafts and art work made by other disabled members of society as well as her own.
She said: “I didn’t even know I was going to compete in the Games until two weeks before Ramadan when I got a call from the federation.
“I screamed for joy when I found out and since then I have been training five days a week. I have also taken time off work during Ramadan to put all my focus and energy into preparing for the competitions ahead.”
Dressed in red and white, Nedham told GulfWeekly she is urging the kingdom to rally behind her.
She said: “I’d like everyone to pray for me and cheer me on. I am very proud to be representing the kingdom and am ready to go for victory. There has never been a girl from Bahrain to win gold in the Paralympics.”
Although her disability has had an impact on her life, it does not define her as a person, a trait she attributes to the love and support of her family.
She said: “It was a challenge for my family at the beginning. I was not sent to school and stayed home instead. My parents were obviously surprised when I was born as none of my other six siblings had any disabilities. However, they were very encouraging and taught me to be independent.
“They didn’t treat me any different from my brothers and sisters. When I started taking part in sports they were extremely proud of me. My brothers would greet me at the airport when I was back from tournaments with cake, banners and sometimes even a band. They tell everybody that I am a champion. Their love and motivation keeps me going.”
Nedham will be competing in javelin on September 3 and discus on September 7.
Meanwhile, fellow disabled athlete Ahmed Abbas Meshaima will be battling for victory in shot put on September 5 and discus on September 7.
Meshaima, an employee at the National Institute for the Disabled, falls into the F31 to 38 class and will be competing in the F37 shot put and discus throw events.
He had automatically qualified for the Paralympics after securing his personal best score of 13.26 metres in the shot put in the 2010 Asian Para Games. He then made his way to Tunisia to take part in a two-week training camp in preparation for the event.
This is Meshaima’s third appearance at the Paralympics and in the 2004 Games staged in Athens, Greece, he bagged a silver medal in shot put.
