[custom_adv] Zahra Lari (born March 3, 1995) is an Emirati figure skater and the first figure skater from the United Arab Emirates to compete internationally. She is a two-time Emirati national champion (2016, 2018). [custom_adv] Zahra Lari is from Abu Dhabi, UAE. Her mother is from North Carolina and had converted to Islam prior to meeting her Emirati father at a university in Atlanta, Georgia. [custom_adv] She was inspired to try figure skating at the age of 11, after watching the Disney film Ice Princess, and was able to begin skating lessons at the age of 13. [custom_adv] She is currently a student at Abu Dhabi University, where she studies environmental health and safety, though she hopes to pursue a career as a skating coach. In 2017, she was included in a Nike, Inc. ad featuring Muslim women athletes. [custom_adv] A practicing Muslim, Lari is also the first figure skater to compete in a hijab. She hopes to serve as an inspiration to other young women. [custom_adv] Lari began learning to skate at the age of 13 at Zayed Sports City. Although her mother was initially supportive, it took some time before her father would let her compete, preferring she continued skating as a hobby. However, after he saw how passionate she was about the sport, he relented. [custom_adv] Her junior international debut was in the 2011-12 season at the European Cup in Canazei, Italy. She received a deduction due to her headscarf, as it was not an approved part of the costume. However, after taking up the issue with the ISU, they changed the rule, allowing for headscarves to be worn in competition. [custom_adv] A documentary about Lari and Ice Princess, highlighting Lari's career and Disney's influence on her, and including interviews with many involved in the making the film, is currently in Pre-Production with Størmerlige Productions as a result of the #DreamBigPrincess campaign and Lari's lasting impact on women and sport in the Middle East and beyond. [custom_adv] Lari will compete at the 2019 Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia and is set to become the first Emirati to compete in the Winter Universiade.
