UAE’s Amna impresses on her debut at Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

UAE’s Amna Al Mehairi finished 19th in the qualifiers for the finals as part of the competitions of the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games, currently being held in Gangwon, South Korea, with the participation of 1,900 athletes from 80 National Olympic Committees.

Amna put in a good performance in the country's first appearance at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, after competing in two rounds with the participation of 22 players, achieving 6 meters as the best personal result in the total attempts.

The Austria’s Caitlin Prann won the gold medal, while New Zealand’s Georgia Lucy won the silver medal, and Czech Republic’s Vlubanickova Vanessa won the bronze medal. Alex Striedge, a player from UAE national snowboard cross team, also finished 38th among the competitions of the tournament, with 63 players participating after completing all the specified rounds.

Mohammed Khadim, Chairman of the Skiing Committee at the UAE Winter Sports Federation, expressed his happiness with the level of the participating athletes and their ability to compete in such major sporting events, noting that the Gangwon Olympics is an important stage in preparation and gaining experience, ahead of qualifying for and participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy.

Khadim pointed out that the Gangwon Olympics comes within the plans of the UAE Winter Sports Federation aimed at opening wider horizons for the participation of Emiratis in global forums, adding: "This participation is the fruit of the recognition obtained by the UAE Federation from the International Ski Federation and the efforts of Ski Dubai, which contributed significantly to the technical development of the players.”

Meanwhile, Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Ambassador of the UAE to the South Korea, received Faris Al Mutawa, Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee, on the sidelines of the country's delegation’s participation in the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon.

Nuaimi stressed that the UAE’s participation in this major Olympic event is the best evidence of the development of the national Olympic movement, especially since the event is dedicated to winter sports that require specific climatic conditions to practice and excel in, which did not stand in the way of the ambition and desire of the country’s youth to participate and compete with the elite of athletes from all over the world, after succeeding in qualifying for and taking part in this entitlement for the first time.

Nuaimi pointed out that the UAE Embassy in South Korea is keen to support the efforts of the participating delegation in this national mission that everyone seeks through it to achieve the best results and work to raise the flag of the nation, its status and prosperity.

For his part, Mutawa appreciated the role of the country's embassy in South Korea and all its work teams for harnessing all capabilities for the participating athletes on behalf of the UAE, noting that this great interest represents a strong incentive for the entire delegation and the pursuit of leaving a clear imprint on the Olympic event.