(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) It is such a common sight to see children glued to their Ipads, phones and other smart gadgets, but six-year-old Lamia Tariq Malallah is quite alien to that concept.
Why? "Because she has no time," explained her mother Malak. Lamia, being the youngest Emirati gymnast, is now busy motivating children to take up sport seriously.
She is also the youngest to have conducted a motivational session. Over 500 students from grades 3 and 4 along with their teachers attended her talk at The Millennium School (TMS) Auditorium.
Lamia along with her coach, former world champion Ksenia Dzhalaganiya, and other coaches Natalia Toprak and Gyuzel Maclaren from Dubai Youth Olympic School, put together a fantastic interactive session where she performed a number of gymnastic moves. She also spoke about her discipline, schedule and training, the events she has participated and spoke about how she hopes of bringing glory to the UAE and putting the UAE on the world map in gymnastics. Accompanied by her mother Malak Alfarsi at the session, Lamia encouraged students to go beyond the lifestyle of tabs and lead a healthy life. Lamia's father, a football player, also supports the little girl to make her dreams come true.
She also had a Q & A session where students asked her a number of questions on the training sessions she undertakes and awards she won.
At TMS, students seemed very intrigued by the fact that a six-year-old has achieved this many accolades at the international level in just one and a half years of training. They also had queries on when she gets time to complete her homework to which she replied she does them in the car!
How sport helps children
During the motivational session, Lamia's mom Malak also shared her views about how important it is to eat healthy. She urged kids to ask their parents to pack them healthy food like fruits and cereals. Malak also motivated the students by telling them that if they are good at sport they will also be able to perform well academically. "Sport disciplines you. You learn to be more focused, your attitude becomes calmer. As your energy is being channelised into sport, you become patient and persevering. Lamia doesn't have much time to study and still she manages to score good grades."
Talking about six-year-old Lamia Tariq Malallah's rigorous training regime, her mother Malak said: "She gets up at 6am and I pack her breakfast and lunch (home made) and drop her off to school. I then pick her at 3pm from school and take her straight to the training centre.
"Lamia takes a quick snack in the car (mostly fruits and dry fruits) and then trains from 4pm until 7.30-8pm. This is her everyday schedule, which includes Friday. Her only day off from training is Saturday, which is when she studies."
When asked what her inspiration was, Lamia shyly said: "His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said we should be 'awwal' (first) so I am going to try become No 1."
On inviting Lamia as a motivational speaker at the school, the executive principal of TMS, Michael Guzder said: "While we have had many speakers in the past who have inspired our students, this is the first time we have invited an internationally acclaimed six-year-old to come to our school and inspire students.
"This is keeping in mind the vision of the rulers of UAE to place the country on the world map by 2020. She is a role model to our pupils and we hope she has sown the seeds of ambition and passion for sport in their lives. It was evident in the brief moments she spent with us that she was passionate about what she does and is someone who brings joy and happiness to all those she interacts with."
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