A trailblazing Emirati teenager has become the youngest Arab citizen to reach an elevation of more than 7,000 metres during her latest mountaineering challenge.
Fatima Al Awadhi, 19, also become the first Emirati to summit the 7,134-metre Lenin Peak, in the Pamir Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, on July 18.
It is Ms Al Awadhi's biggest achievement yet but is far from the peak of her ambitions. Her sights are set on conquering the highest mountain on each of the seven continents before the age of 20.
As well as taking on the daunting Seven Summits challenge, she aims to reach the North and South Pole to complete the Explorer's Grand Slam.
Ms Al Awadhi's latest success will hold her in good stead for the journey ahead. Lenin Peak is one of Central Asia's most demanding high-altitude mountains, known for its extreme weather and icy terrain.
The expedition lasted about three weeks and began with an acclimatisation phase followed by the final summit push. She climbed above 7,000 metres without supplementary oxygen.
Flying UAE flag high
The intrepid climber raised the flag of the UAE after reaching the summit and displayed a message to young people around the world from President Sheikh Mohamed underlining the values of ambition, hope, resilience and perseverance.
“Standing on the summit of Lenin Peak with the UAE flag wasn’t just the end of a climb, it was a reminder of why I started this journey in the first place,” she said.
“Mountaineering has taught me that the greatest rewards come from embracing challenges.”
The Abu Dhabi-born mountaineer dedicated her achievement to Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, who serves as chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
Ms Al Awadhi hailed the UAE leadership for encouraging Emirati women to pursue excellence and break new ground. She praised the UAE President for his efforts to help young people to “dream big and pursue ambitious goals”.
“I hope this achievement encourages others, especially young Emiratis and young women, to believe in what’s possible when you work for it,” she said.
Only way is up
Her record-setting accomplishment comes only one year after she climbed her first major peak, Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe and part of the Seven Summits challenge.
Ms Al Awadhi was already the youngest Arab to summit both Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania and has previously climbed Mount Kiliminjaro, all three of which are counted among the seven summits.
She is a recipient of the Presidential Court University Scholarship and the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students, balancing full-time university studies with elite mountaineering.
With four of the seven summits reached, she is plotting a course to complete the three remaining peaks: Mount Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America) and Denali (North America).
