Match Update: Track and Field
Jordan’s Ulfat Al-Zwiri Inspires Crowd and Competitors Alike at Track and Field Finals Day
Hundreds of injured servicemen and women completed their personal journeys to Invictus Games Orlando 2016 today with inspiring performances in the track and field finals, including Jordan’s Ulfat Al-Zwiri who received a standing ovation from fellow competitors and the crowd after crossing the finishing line several meters behind the rest of the field in the women’s 100 meters dash.
Her performance epitomized the spirit of Invictus, which means “Unconquered” in Latin, and her determination to complete the 100 meter event after her fellow participants had crossed the finish line drew rousing applause from the crowd who cheered and urged her on as she valiantly completed the dash.
Several of Ulfat’s colleagues who had already finished the dash stayed behind on the field and waited for her to complete the event, warmly embracing her at the end of the emotional event.
Ulfat’s parents who had travelled from Jordan were present in the crowd to witness their daughter’s stirring performance, proudly waving the Jordan national flag as Ulfat pushed herself.
Speaking though an interpreter, Ulfat’s father Yasin Zwiri said he and his wife, Basema Zwiri, and Jordan, were proud of his daughters achievement at the Invictus Games.
Mr. Zwiri said it was important for his daughter and for Jordan that Ulfat finish the race.
“We are very happy and very proud of Ulfat for what she has done today for herself and for her country at the Invictus Games,” Mr. Zwiri said.
“We were very happy to raise the Jordan flag for her and for Jordan,” said Mr. Zwiri whose family hails from Shobak, in southern Jordan, but now lives in the capital of Amman.
He said that sport had helped Ulfat to make remarkable progress in her recovery from injuries suffered in a car accident while in the Jordan armed service.
“It has been wonderful to see how far she has come in her recovery to be able to participate in a major international event like this. She has represented her country and herself very well,” Mr. Zwiri said though the interpreter.
Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein, the chairman of the Board of the Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers in Jordan, said Ulfat’s performance was typical of her determination and ability to conquer obstacles and that sport had been a fundamental tool in helping her to achieve her potential.
“We hope that Ulfat’s performance and example at the Invictus Games will help to shatter stereotypes about what is possible for injured soldiers to achieve in Jordan and elsewhere,” he said.
“We also hope that Ulfat will be a role model for young girls in Jordan about what they can do through sport and in society.”
