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2039-Najat El Garraa photo

Najat El Garraa

Moroccan flag
Morocco
Athletics | Powerlifting
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Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Short stature
Origin of Impairment
Congenital

Further personal information

Residence
Temara, MAR
Occupation
Office Worker
Languages
Arabic, French

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began powerlifting at age 34 in Rabat, Morocco.
Why this sport?
"The discipline is very rare in Morocco, with no Moroccan athlete ever able to reach the top in powerlifting. So I thought it was an opportunity to push the limits of my abilities a little more."
Club / Team
Club Amis de Fes: Morocco
Coach from which country?
Morocco

International debut

Year
2017
Competing for
Morocco

General interest

Hobbies
Music, cooking, baking. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning silver at the 2018 African Championships in Algiers, Algeria, and finishing sixth at the 2017 World Championships in Mexico City, Mexico. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019; paralympic.org, 01 Sep 2017)
Most influential person in career
Her sister Laila and her father. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019, 19 Jan 2011)
Hero / Idol
Moroccan shot putter Lahcen Samsam Akka. (Athlete, 19 Jan 2011)
Awards and honours
In January 2013 she received the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (moroccoworldnews.com, 07 Jan 2013)

She was named Morocco's Best Female Athlete of 2012 by the Moroccan Press Association [MPA]. (lemag.ma, 25 Dec 2012)
Other sports
She has represented Morocco in athletics at the Paralympic Games in 2008 and 2012. She won gold in F40 discus and bronze in F40 shot put at the 2012 Games in London, and bronze in F40 discus at the 2008 Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 21 Feb 2019; paralympic.org, 2017)
Famous relatives
Her sister Laila competed in athletics for Morocco at the Paralympic Games in 2004, 2008 and 2012, winning silver in the F40 shot put at the 2004 Games in Athens. She also won gold in the F40 shot put at the 2006 World Championships in Assen, Netherlands. Her other sister Hayat has represented Morocco in the F41 discus and shot put at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the 2019 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her brother Mohamed also competed in athletics at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 May 2021; paralympic.org, 2017; Hayat Gharaa Facebook profile, 16 Apr 2015; Athlete, 19 Jan 2011)
Ambitions
To win gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019)
Impairment
She was born with achondroplasia and is a person of short stature. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019, 2013; worlddwarfgames.org, 11 Sep 2012)
Other information
OCCUPATION
She works for the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Morocco. (Athlete, 01 Jun 2019)

Results

Unit Date Rank
IPC Athletics World Championships Assen 2006 (Assen, Netherlands)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Shot Put F40 Final Round 2
Women's Discus Throw F40 Final Round 1
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Shot Put F40 Final Round 4
Women's Discus Throw F40 Final Round 3
2011 IPC Athletics World Championships (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Shot Put F40 Final 2011-01-23 4
Women's Discus Throw F40 Final 2011-01-29 1
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Discus Throw F40 Final Round 2012-08-31 1
Women's Shot Put F40 Final Round 2012-09-08 3
Mexico City 2017 World Para Powerlifting Championships (Mexico City, Mexico)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Up to 55.00kg Final 2017-12-03 6