Passion and a Love of Her Country Fuels Determination
Alya Alghamdi dreamed of competing in the Olympics from a very young age. Growing up in a large family with ten siblings in Saudi Arabia, Alya learned early on that being a fierce competitor was a mode of survival. Through her formative years, she developed the mental agility to drive physical strength, dedication, and determination to build her confidence and develop her future visions. Adopting this trifecta of essential virtues would lead Alya through disappointment, isolation, and threats on her life. But she overcame armed with a desire to overcome all challenges. A passion that would lead her to future successes halfway around the world.
Today, Alya’s vision is to compete in the track and field events of the 2021 Olympic games while representing her home country of Saudi Arabia. Alya admits that one of her primary goals of making the Olympics is to be the first woman to carry her country’s flag in the opening ceremony. This is a moment Alya envisions nearly every day but is only among a string of visions she has that are all connected by her passion, dedication, discipline, work ethic, and confidence in the sport of track and field.
Disappointments Fuel Desire
Alya faced challenges and disappointments early on. This in itself is not uncommon as every true champion will face insurmountable odds as they define their vision and goals. For Alya, deciding to leave her country was among the first. As a female in Saudi Arabia, leaving the country for adventure and experience is not entirely encouraged. She received death threats before her move to Europe, and the separation from her family under these types of circumstances weighed heavily on her. But she prevailed and discovered a passion she had long searched for without knowing she was seeking it. That passion came in the form of running.
In time, Alya’s mental control and desire were focused entirely on track and field, and she set her sights on competing in the 2016 Olympics. Her dedication and mental focus led her to professional level track records and breaking some records in the process. Her achievements captured the attention of Saudi Arabia’s National Olympic Committee, and Alya soon received an invitation to join the country’s women track and field team. Alya set her sights on Rio but would soon face a devastating blow when her funding was cut following a quick dismal from the team and ordered back to Saudi Arabia. A decision that Alya says was not based on her athletic performance.
Setting New Sights
With the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio now out of reach, Alya looked past the crushing disappointment and quickly set sights on the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. Her training continued uninterrupted, and her focus on becoming the fastest female from Saudi Arabia grew more potent than ever before. Through her determination, Alya broke Saudi Arabia’s 60-meter record but recognizes that achievement is just one small step on a much longer journey.
When the COVID-19 global pandemic spread throughout the world, Alya’s vision of showcasing her champion athleticism and years of hard work would have to wait another year. As the pandemic affected every aspect of human life, the Olympic Committee decided to postpone the Summer Games until 2021. A decision that would both help and hinder Alya’s current situation.
Today, Alya is training at full-throttle, and she reflects on her nine-year journey and continued vision to represent her country in the 2021 Summer Games. Through her experiences – both good and bad – Alya shares what factors continue to inspire her goals and drive her determination to be the best.
“Training is about each little moment that connects in a natural flow of building confidence and gaining momentum toward something that is seemingly bigger than yourself,” said Alya. “Focusing on those little moments and giving in to yourself entirely to the goal within those moments build consistent and persistent behavioral patterns that lead to greatness.”
Alya understands that pain is connected to passion and that the mental strength of a champion is just as valuable as physical strength. With this, she lives by a creed of small successes that lead to great achievements.
Secrets to Crushing Personal Fitness Goals and Staying Competitive
“The mind drives the body,” says Alya. “Developing the mental agility to the point of on-demand control pushes the body to train harder and crush the goal of the moment. This is the connective tissue of champions and the power behind developing consistent, persistent behavior and being able to summon that mentality when you need it most.”
This level of mental discipline has allowed Alya to compartmentalize her emotions, and she has learned to summon them when they are needed most, but also to put them away when she feels they are detrimental to her progress.
She explains that emotions can be a great motivator or your worst enemy. Certain emotions energize her mind and physicality when training. These emotions are like adding fuel to an internal inferno that ignites, allowing her to push boundaries and surpass the goal of the moment. Other emotions tied to her past or missing her family can weigh heavily, and she has learned to put those down and move forward. She admits the feelings are not ignored, but simply not given any energy to fester when she is entirely focused on the goals at hand.
As Alya works toward her vision, she wants other athletes, especially young female athletes, to know that they have the power to achieve their wildest athletic goals with the right attitude, determination, and support. Alya contributes her current success to an immeasurable amount of support. Her friends and coaches have guided her toward her vision of competing in the Olympics.
“Add in a little chaos to your training,” she says. “Understand the relationship between setting high goals and the pressure that comes with that. The pressure applied at the very end of a set goal is what you need to push past to win at the moment.”
Reflecting on her nine-year journey as an Olympic hopeful, Alya realizes that all the years of training, discipline, and determination come down to one single moment in time. Pushing past those last split seconds of an event will be the difference between achieving greatness or falling just shy. It is that thought that ignites a fire within Alya, and she has no plans of being shy.