O
vercoming what others might have considered impossible, Shaikha Al Shaiba has been making waves as one of the most inspirational athletes, showing no signs of stopping. Strong, passionate and diligent, Shaikha Al Shaiba carries many titles and awards, but the most important is “inspirational”. Working as a Business Development Manager in Oil & Gas Co in KSA, the athlete is mostly recognized for her unwavering commitment to sports and for making a name for herself as an unstoppable force of nature. Starting off slowly and then picking up the pace, Shaikha has taken the world of sports by storm, Her journey, however, is just at the beginning and luckily we had the chance to learn more about it
HOW DID YOU GET INTO SPORTS AND ATHLETICISM?
I was always into sports, ever since I was in school. As I got older and busier, I neglected sports for a while and that is when I started to gain weight. That moment became a turning point in my life and I decided to show up for myself and regain my fitness. Plus, I love a good challenge that tests my abilities.
THROUGHOUT YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY, WHO WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR OVERCOMING CHALLENGES?
Myself! I’ve always strived to achieve the things I’ve wished for and luckily I was always successful. So this showed me that nothing is impossible and made me wish for even bigger things and try even harder to achieve them. No matter how challenging.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
I faced a lot of challenges both in my personal life, from society, and in my professional life, at the workplace and in the sports branch. I overcame society’s challenges by trying to turn their negatives into positive things. At the workplace, things were a bit more difficult, as everyone thinks that if they’ll hire me, my passion for sports will affect my job, which is not the case. I can work more than 8 hours a day and still do what I am doing now. In the sports branch, I try to solve the challenges I encounter in swimming and running with physiotherapy. I try to find different techniques to ease pressure on my hands while swimming and my hips while running for example.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SPORTS YOU HAVE TAKEN PART IN? AND OF THESE SPORTS, WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE? WHY?
I have done CrossFit, Spartan, and now I want to enter full marathons. I love CrossFit most, but of course each of the sports I engage in play a special role in my life and have a unique place in my heart.
WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO TAKE PART IN THE SPARTAN RACE AND HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR IT?
I saw the Spartan race as a challenge and since I love challenges, I wanted to take part in it no matter what. I started asking around to see if anyone needed an extra team member but I didn’t find anyone. Until one day when a friend said they were looking for a team member and that I could join. By that time, I had already started doing CrossFit/Bootcamps, followed by running after the sessions, so that meant I was fully prepared to take on the adventure and participate.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE RUNNING IN THE SPARTAN RACE AMONGST SOME OF THE REGION’S LEADING ATHLETES AND SHEIKH NASSER HIMSELF?
It felt incredible. Being among all those great athletes was very motivating and that made me push myself beyond my limits.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN YOUR FIRST TRIATHLON IN THE UAE? During the triathlon, I faced a lot of difficulties. During the swimming segment, for example, I had to fight with the waves. Ever since then I’ve been striving to improve my swimming technique and I am trying to find a professional swim coach to guide me further and help me improve my skills.
WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEND OUT TO THOSE WHO ALSO WISH TO TAKE ON AN ATHLETIC CAREER BUT DON’T KNOW HOW OR ARE UNAWARE OF THE RIGHT STEPS TO TAKE? Stop looking at your weakness or what skills you might be lacking at the moment. Start focusing on what you have and embrace it. And, of course, enjoy your life at every step. It’s too short to miss out on any of it!
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