Life
There was a time when young Arab girls were told to dream within limits. Today, they are advancing science, dominating esports tournaments, speeding past expectations and carving their own paths down snow-capped peaks. Across science, sport and digital culture, a powerful shift is underway. Young women are no longer waiting for permission to lead. They are claiming their space, competing globally and turning passion into profession. Here, we meet a changemakers who embodies a generation raised to believe ambition has no limits.
MARYAM AL FARSI
18, Athlete
It’s hard to believe that Mayram Al Farsi, who represented the UAE at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the prestigious 100m sprint, wasn’t a natural. “Was I a good runner at the start? No, I was not,” she confesses with a laugh. “I was not blessed with the genes to run fast. But I fell in love with the sport. I fell in love with the environment, and I just put my head down and started training, and I loved it.” Describing her road to representing her country on a global stage as ‘definitely not linear, but the best decision I ever made,’ she credits determination – and her mother’s support – for getting her to where she is today. “For the competitions I would join, there was no female Emirati team. And so, my mom went and was like, ‘How are you promoting women’s sports?’ And we fought for it for months and months – and then it happened, which is so great, because now a group of women are running in the UAE,” she reflects proudly.
That training and support led to a 16-year-old Al Farsi being selected to represent the UAE as one of only 14 athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I think they told me a month, or a month-and-a-half before,” she says on finding out about her selection. “And to be honest, I was just in denial. I felt like at 16, I couldn’t possibly be at the top level.” She details finding it ‘so daunting,’ particularly going alone. “I don’t even remember the full race,” Al Farsi explains. “I just remember being at the start and then being at the finish line.” She came away from the Olympics considering hanging up her running shoes. “I didn’t think I wanted to run after Paris,” she reflects honestly. “I was like, ‘That was hard, that was difficult’. But then I was like ‘No, now that I know what to expect, I want to be there for LA.’” When she says LA, she’s referencing the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA, which Al Farsi has now firmly got her sights set on. “I cannot wait to represent my country and to represent women. I hope to have a team around me this time.” Before then, there’s plenty off-track to keep her busy. “I just got my driver’s license and I’m going to graduate [this year].”
After completing A-Levels in business economics and maths, she’s already been accepted to study business at a university in Dubai. Looking beyond the Olympics, the future feels exciting for this inspiring young athlete. “I want to be able to provide for my family, for my mom,” she replies heartfeltly when we talk about her goals. “Because she sacrificed her entire life for me. “I want to be able to start something real for women here. I want to be a businesswoman.” Her ambition is palpable. “I hope to create a bigger community around me of women and to make sport more accessible, not just for people my age, but for everyone.” That passion to inspire stands out throughout our conversation. “I’m so blessed that I get to be a role model for younger girls,” Al Farsi affirms. “If I can get one girl to look at the TV or the news and say, ‘She looks just like me, I want to run too,’ then I’ve done what I want to do.” So, what’s the one piece of advice she’d pass on to any aspiring young female athletes? “I think loving something so much and putting your heart into it is so beautiful. Taking that step out of your comfort zone and being able to do what you want to do, whether society tells you yes or no, know that you can do it,” she responds thoughtfully. “And know that there’s a whole community behind you. I think anything is possible if you really love [something] and you really want it.”
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