A 24-year-old woman named Saima Ubaid created history by becoming the first woman in Jammu and Kashmir to choose powerlifting as a career.
This is a sport where we rarely see a woman taking part in it. However, Ubaid is breaking stereotypes and proving everyone wrong, for all the right reasons.
A mother, Ubaid was inspired to take up this sport by her husband, Ubaiz Hafiz, who is a powerlifter himself. I suffered from excessive weight gain when I joined the gym. My husband helped me lose the excess weight. He trained me and lead the path to the career as a weight-lifter.”
Her husband appreciates her prowess and encourages her further, “I saw she had natural strength to lift weights that is essential for powerlifting. Then I proposed the idea of the sport and she agreed.”
The Jammu and Kashmir Powerlifting Association organized the 4th Kashmir Powerlifting, Benchpress, and Deadlift Championship, exclusively for women for the very first time. Ubaid won a gold medal as she was able to lift 255 kg.
Earning laurels has not only made her more determined to pursue this sport as her career, but she wants to make a difference for the women around her as well. “Even after marriage and a kid, I continued the sport as I wanted to show women that they can achieve whatever they dream if they are dedicated,” she said.
As this news broke on the internet, netizens took to various social media platforms to laud her. Many called her an ‘inspiration’ while some even said that ‘she has set an example.’
