“We will continue to lift weights, even if the road is full of difficulties.” The three are in a weightlifting game that is often a men’s monopoly.
The three sisters achieved many medals, gold, silver and bronze in local and international weightlifting competitions for all age groups.
The success of the three sisters, Oshin Mohsen, 24, Israa, 22, and Enas, 20, comes with the continued criticism directed at them for choosing a game that used to be for men. Opening the door for other girls to practice in this sport.
The older sister Ocean, who has been practicing weightlifting for 12 years and participated in the first Arab championship in 2010, won many gold medals in local competitions inside Iraq and in international competitions as well, including being ranked first in the West Asian weightlifting competitions that were held in Bahrain in 2019 won 9 gold medals with its participation in 3 age groups, namely the youth, junior and advanced category, lifting weights of 60, 65 and 70 kg.
In the Asian Weightlifting Championships, organized in Jordan in 2020, she also achieved first place, winning 6 gold medals with her participation in the youth and advanced category, lifting weights of 80 and 85 kg.
Ocean has always won first place in all the competitions it has fought in recent years inside Iraq, and has so far won 12 times first place in local tournaments, she says to Al Jazeera Net.
What Oshin sees most frustrating for her as she faces many challenges in her practice of this sport, is the lack of government agencies’ interest in her talent and her two sisters, among which is that she receives 100,000 Iraqi dinars (68 dollars) per month at a time when she is a player in the Iraqi weightlifting team and a player in the Erbil Sports Club. She herself, and sometimes she receives it every two or three months, and it is not enough for the costs and expenses of her sport.
Like her two sisters, Ocean aspires, and in her career so far she has 24 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals, to participate in the World and Asian Weightlifting Championships to fulfill the dream of her father, who was a professional coach in the same game, and hopes to win the gold as she did in Arab and local championships and competitions.
Hardware shortage
The second sister, Esraa, 22, has so far won 27 gold medals, achieving first place in all international and local competitions in which she participated in the youth, junior and advanced age groups with weights of 60 and 70 kg.
Esraa says that she trains 3 to 4 hours a day with her two sisters, but she complains that there is no designated place for her to train, in addition to the lack of advanced equipment needed for their sport, as in other countries.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Israa criticizes the concerned authorities, whether in the region or Baghdad, for ignoring their demands, and not paying attention to them, especially as they are champions in Iraq and the Arab region, expressing regret that government agencies are not interested in anything but football, on which huge budgets are spent, she said.
Ocean raises a medal it won during an Arab championship (Al Jazeera Net)loss of femininity
Although their practice of this sport caused them a lot of social problems and criticism, as if they were told, “You became like men,” especially since weightlifting increases the muscles in a woman’s body and changes it somewhat, the younger sister Enas confirms that they face this by achieving advanced ranks in local championships. and Arabic, and contribute to opening the door for other girls to enter the world of weightlifting.
And Enas, who has so far won 29 gold medals, the last of which was first place in the Arab Championship competition that was organized in Shaqlawa area in Erbil on December 24, and won 9 gold medals with her participation in the three age groups, she appreciates the role of her mother, who was the bond and strength for them after Father’s departure.
