ALKHOBAR: For Ruqayah Suliman, the medal that matters most came only after she learned how to lose.
Saudi Arabia’s 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete had already suffered several defeats when she began to understand that improving her technique alone would not be enough. Competition brought other pressures — nerves, emotions, nutrition and the challenge of making weight — that she had to learn to manage.
When Suliman finally won her first gold medal at the Dammam Championship in 2026, the result carried meaning beyond the podium.
“Before that, I had experienced several losses, and I realized that the problem wasn’t my technical skills. The biggest challenge was learning to control my emotions, competition nerves, nutrition and weight management,” she told Arab News.
“That gold medal represented much more than a victory — it was proof that I had grown as both an athlete and a person.”
