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DETERMINED Shaikha Al Shaiba, who competes in intensive, gruelling sporting events despite losing an arm as a child, has set her sights on competing in the challenging Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain, with the aim of motivating other disabled athletes to believe in themselves.
The popular businesswoman has become a renowned public figure and role model in the kingdom for her remarkable achievements, her determination to succeed and her strength to overcome any obstacles put in her way, be it in life or in sport.
Shaikha, 34, who is the vice president - head of executive office and corporate management at Investrade Company, said: “Disability is not when you have a missing part of your body, it’s when you stop and limit yourself. You must accept yourself, love yourself and believe in yourself and your abilities. Stay positive and stay happy.
“Throughout my journey, I have seen how pushing myself beyond the limit has encouraged and motivated people with disability and without to overcome their obstacles, their fears and to achieve their goals and I have decided that my mission will be to spread awareness through sport.”
Shaikha lost her arm following complications after treatment to remove a growth, which was discovered by her parents, Wedad and Hamdi, when she was six-months-old. Two operations later in Bahrain and gangrene set in, bone cancer was diagnosed and specialists in London had to amputate part of the limb almost up to the shoulder. “At this point I was 18 months old,” she said. “My parents had no choice and I continued living on with one arm.”
Attending school was a difficult time for Shaikha as children were sometimes cruel and would point and stare at her for being different.
She started wearing a prosthetic arm but by the time she reached her teens she decided she loved herself and didn’t care what people thought anymore.
Shaikha, who lives in Hamad Town, said: “It was very hard at the beginning but I realised I didn’t need to please people as long as I was happy within myself. The prosthetic arm wasn’t helpful back then anyway. It was just used for appearance purposes which would please other people’s eyes … but like I said, I was happy with the way I looked and that’s all that mattered.
“This made me gain confidence and helped me to become the person I am today. That’s when I decided that nothing was impossible if you just put your mind to it and maintained a positive attitude.”
Her family was fully supportive and her biggest fans, alongside her parents, were her brothers and sister, Ebrahim, 36, an executive director, Khalid, 35, a quality and process improvement specialist, Jassim, 30, head of sales at Asia Pacific and Aisha, 27, a housewife.
She made a splash as a swimmer from an early age with her times at the Indian School. Shaikha said: “I have always had a passion for sport and wasn’t going to let anything get in my way. At the age of seven I started swimming when an instructor at my school approached my mother to suggest extra training classes.
“My mother has always pushed me. At the start it was very challenging but the moment I was in the pool I knew that I could do it and the obstacles were all just in my head. I used to participate in school sports and against athletes from different schools and I used to win or come second or third. I used to also compete in running. Sport has always been a part of my life.”
Shaikha also excelled in her studies. After graduating from Al Noor International School she went on to achieve a bachelor’s degree in Business Informatics from AMA International University - Bahrain.
After university, Shaikha focused her energy on her career and in 2015 decided to hit the gym to help her lose weight and improve her fitness. She started with RPM classes, an indoor cycling workout where people ride to the rhythm of powerful music, and then ventured into CrossFit training.
Shaikha added: “When I first joined one gym, one instructor suggested that I should be more careful and perhaps not exercise with the rest of the group. It was a bit offensive and to be honest it really hurt my feelings. I didn’t let that stop me though. I pushed and kept a positive attitude.”
In April of this year, her friend Eman Nooruddin, a psychotherapist and philanthropist, encouraged her to join The Burpees Dozen in competing in the adrenaline-pumping Spartan Race Bahrain (Super) where contestants had to run, climb and crawl through nets over an intense 13km-plus course with more than 25 obstacles.
Shaikha said: “CrossFit made me discover that I could challenge my abilities and my own limits but one of the main turning points for me was participating in the Spartan Super race and completing it.
“I was honestly not sure if I’d be allowed to compete but Eman and her team took me in and we finished the event. Finishing it was the best feeling in the world.”
Shaikha now aims to compete in October’s Spartan Sprint in Oman with the same 29-strong group, a challenge involving at least a 5km run with more than 20 obstacles.
The Ironman, likely to be staged once again in the kingdom around December, will pose a tougher feat but triathlon coach and triathlete Mubarak Mohamed Mubarak has every faith that she will conquer it.
Mubarak said: “When I saw what she did at the Bahrain Spartan race I made contact with her and offered to coach her for Ironman.
“Shaikha is amazing. She has a fire in her eyes and is always determined, disciplined and strong.
“She pushes herself and has great potential. I believe in her and believe she could accomplish Ironman. It will not be easy but with her training and her passion I believe she can make it. Our aim is for her to finish it. She has enough time to prepare.”
Shaikha normally trains at least six-times-a-week in preparation for the Ironman event which is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organised by the World Triathlon Corporation, consisting of a swim, bicycle ride and run … raced in that order and without a break.
It consists of one hour swimming, one hour of running and one hour of cycling but she has adapted the schedule during Ramadan. She swims every day after futoor at the Isa Town pool facility thanks to Mariam Turki, the head of the women’s committee for Bahrain Triathlon Association. She also cycles after 9.30pm three-times-a-week, runs twice a week straight after jumping off her bike and also once-a-week before Iftar.
Confident Shaikha is thankful to the association for all its support, for her family constantly being by her side and for Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, representative of His Majesty for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, chairman of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and president of Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), for bringing Ironman to the kingdom.
She said: “Pushing the physical body beyond its comfort zone is something I admire. Shaikh Nasser has made the impossible possible for every single Bahraini, including me, and we are proud to have such an initiative.
“Currently I’m working on a very intense programme designed for Ironman with Captain Mubarak with two aims in mind - to cross that finish line and make everyone who has supported me proud.”
Follow Shaikha’s progress on Instagram @thehappinessproject.
