Dubai: The UAE's Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is racing against time to be ready in time for next month's Beijing Olympics.
"I have been doing what I possibly can during a time span of 24 hours a day," Shaikha Maitha told Gulf News during a training session late on Monday.
"Realistically, I have prepared as much as I possibly can given the time window we have for the Games," she added.
In Beijing, Shaikha Maitha will be participating in the under 67kgs category in taekwondo.
Shaikha Maitha's biggest achievement so far is the silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. Immediately after that, she set her sights on the Olympics while gearing her entire training schedule towards that goal.
"The fact is that we do not have too much time. However, we still have to set goals and then go about achieving these," Shaikha Maitha stated.
She admitted that some of her goals looked a bit unrealistic more due to the narrow time-frame. "But even this is good for us as it goads us on and helps us to pursue these goals, no matter how far they may seem," she noted.
"It is my duty to honour my father and my country at the Olympics. A gold medal is a dream that I hope to fulfil. It is a gift to my father that is long overdue," she stated.
Quality preparation
In order to ensure some top quality preparation, some of the top nations from the Arab world have been invited to be train in Dubai with Shaikha Maitha.
During the past few months, national teams from Egypt and Morocco have been training in Dubai.
In fact, the Moroccan national team with two Olympians is currently in Dubai for a final training camp.
Lauding this gesture from the Moroccans, Shaikha Maitha said: "This is the third time that they have come here and we are glad they came as it has helped us fine-up our preparations."
"It's a mad rush to the Olympics and every one is busy trying to prepare for the Games. But Morocco accepted our invitation to come and train with us," she added.
Given the fact that the Olympics is now less than a month away, she knows that her final round of preparations need to be focussed and concentrated.
She also paid a generous tribute to her technical team, consisting of coaches Sameer Juma, Moina Jadeed and Zeyad Hammad.
"I have always been judged on my performances. Even when I have won the gold, they have turned around and been harsh critics based on my performance," Shaikha Maitha stated.
If the Asian Games were the start, she hopes to see the culmination of a journey in Beijing.
"I've matured a lot since the Asian Games. When we started pursuing our dream, we started on zero. Now you see how far we have come," she noted.
Shaikha Maitha will continue training in Dubai and then leave for a couple of camps in China and Korea before proceeding for the opening ceremony, where she will be the flag-bearer for the UAE on August 8.
