Amna Al Haddad is a sports pioneer from the Gulf, freelance Journalist and motivational speaker. She is known for breaking the glass ceiling as an Olympic weightlifting athlete from the UAE. Prior to embarking on her athletic journey, Amna worked as a journalist at The National Newspaper in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).In 2012, she decided to turn her passion into a career and became a full-time athlete. Within the same year, her hard work and dedication paid off when she made history for becoming the first Arab woman to compete in the Reebok Crossfit Asia Regionals in Seoul, South Korea. By 2013, Amna broke even more barriers for Arab women by competing internationally and becoming the first competitive Weightlifter from the Gulf to do so in Hijab.In 2016, Amna decided to realize her dream of participating at the Olympics in Rio. She set out to join her fellow UAE team members in competing at the Asian Championships Olympics qualifier in Uzbekistan. Team effort led to gaining enough points to send one female athlete to Rio. In 2015, the Clinton Foundation in collaboration with Cosmopolitan USA selected Amna as one of eight incredible women for their ‘No Ceilings’ campaign. In 2015, Amna signed a contract with Nike and has been featured in a global campaigns.In 2016, she became the first Arab athlete invited to visit Nike HQ in Portland to consult on challenges faced by Arab athletes and their needs, which then inspired the development of the Nike Pro Hijab.In 2016, she was awarded the Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowship for Mental Illness, in collaboration with Al Jalila Foundation. Additionally, under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, she received the Arab Woman Award in Sports in 2016 her sporting achievements. Additionally, she was featured in a children’s book highlighting 100 inspirational women in the world, called Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, as the only UAE national to be featured.In 2020, she has contributed a chapter to a youth book, called The Possibilities Project: A young person’s guide to career success that was launched in Emirates Airline Literature Festival.