Shahad Budebs. Instagram/@shahad0900
Inspiring other female athletes, Shahad Budebs was just named the global representative of CrossFit at the CrossFit Games 2019. She is the first female from UAE to receive the title.
Budebs had been participating on behalf of her country at the 2019 CrossFit Games which took place in Madison, Wisconsin, and is the first female Emirati contestant to compete in the games. The athlete shattered stereotypes when she was recognized as the United Arab Emirates National Champion at the closing ceremony.
The 24-year-old has had a long history with sports. Not only was Budebs a member of the UAE National Football Team, but she was also named the Fittest Emirati Woman in 2019. More recently, she ranked first place in the UAE Women Category during the NAS Challenge – held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – for a 5km run. Alongside playing football, her passion for CrossFit began to grow and in 2017, she participated in her first competition, and ever since then, the sky has been her limit.
Born and raised in Dubai, the former soccer player aims to inspire other Arab females to join male-dominated sports. Sharing the news on Instagram Budebs wrote, “I’m speechless and beyond blessed! I came, I represented and I will come back again! This is a message to all the Arab women. We can be national athletes and we can reach to high-level competitions! We are here and we will come back stronger!”
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