{"id":14076,"date":"2026-02-17T08:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076"},"modified":"2026-02-17T08:44:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:44:00","slug":"doaa-shayea-opens-up-about-being-a-muslim-para-powerlifter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076","title":{"rendered":"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

16.02.2026<\/h5>\n<\/p>\n
\n

Doaa Shayea wants to use the Commonwealth Games to break down misconceptions about what it means to be a disabled Muslim woman.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old will make her Commonwealth debut at the Glasgow 2026 this summer, where she will represent England in para-powerlifting.<\/p>\n

The Plymouth lifter made the switch from wheelchair racing four years ago and has enjoyed a rapid rise onto the international scene.<\/p>\n

It is a platform she now wants to use to show exactly what she can do, despite other\u2019s external expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honour and a privilege to be selected,\u201d she said. \u201cI am really excited.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have worked so hard to get to this point and I am looking forward to doing the opportunity justice. Most of all, I want to enjoy the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am in a privileged place to have that opportunity and be a role model. Islam and Muslims often get a bad rep but by me doing something that isn\u2019t expected, it is my message to the world. Islam isn\u2019t restrictive, being in a wheelchair isn\u2019t restrictive, you can go above and beyond and push your body.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisability isn\u2019t associated with strength but I am disrupting that narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs athletes we are always told to talk about our why and that is my why; being the representation that I didn\u2019t have when I was growing up. You can\u2019t be what you can\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Shayea\u2019s powerlifting journey began when she was scouted competing at a CrossFit Games.<\/p>\n

She has no regrets about leaving the world of wheelchair racing behind but admits it has come with some difficulties.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old has been forced to bulk up in order to lift heavy and has had to adjust to a new body image.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are very different sports. It was a lot for me to adjust to, which I struggled with at the start,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big part that I found quite difficult was having to put on weight. I really enjoyed the aspect of cardio because it meant I could lose weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo do the opposite and build muscle was something I struggled with, and still something I am working on now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am enjoying the process and how empowering powerlifting is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would be lying if it is something I have accepted \u2013 I am still working on it. It is taking a lot of work to really see myself for what I am which is strong, powerful and capable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am consistently trying to remind myself of those things. It is learning to love a new and more empowered version of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shayea splits her time between training and studying sociology at the University of Plymouth.<\/p>\n

It leaves her little time for much else, but the 27-year-old is laser-focussed on what she wants to achieve this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cVisualisation is huge for me,\u201d she added. \u201cTo be able to perform at your best, it is having that ability to go into that mindset and to be able to really be calm but also powerful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to remind myself that I should enjoy every moment of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team England are Ready to Win at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Keep up to date on\u00a0https:\/\/teamengland.org\/<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

16.02.2026 Doaa Shayea wants to use the Commonwealth Games to break down misconceptions about what it means to be a disabled Muslim woman. The 27-year-old will make her Commonwealth debut at the Glasgow 2026 this summer, where she will represent England in para-powerlifting. The Plymouth lifter made the switch from wheelchair racing four years ago […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14076","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-powerlifting-news"},"yoast_head":"\nDoaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"16.02.2026 Doaa Shayea wants to use the Commonwealth Games to break down misconceptions about what it means to be a disabled Muslim woman. The 27-year-old will make her Commonwealth debut at the Glasgow 2026 this summer, where she will represent England in para-powerlifting. The Plymouth lifter made the switch from wheelchair racing four years ago […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-17T08:44:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/teamengland.org\/media\/MD609516-image(_x1000).jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2\"},\"headline\":\"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-17T08:44:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076\"},\"wordCount\":554,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Powerlifting News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076\",\"name\":\"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter - World Bodybuilding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-17T08:44:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg\",\"width\":1542,\"height\":1032},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=14076#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"description\":\"Data, Rankings, Results.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo\",\"caption\":\"World Bodybuilding News\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter - World Bodybuilding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter - World Bodybuilding News","og_description":"16.02.2026 Doaa Shayea wants to use the Commonwealth Games to break down misconceptions about what it means to be a disabled Muslim woman. The 27-year-old will make her Commonwealth debut at the Glasgow 2026 this summer, where she will represent England in para-powerlifting. The Plymouth lifter made the switch from wheelchair racing four years ago […]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076","og_site_name":"World Bodybuilding News","article_published_time":"2026-02-17T08:44:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/teamengland.org\/media\/MD609516-image(_x1000).jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"World Bodybuilding News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"World Bodybuilding News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076"},"author":{"name":"World Bodybuilding News","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2"},"headline":"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter","datePublished":"2026-02-17T08:44:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076"},"wordCount":554,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg","articleSection":["Powerlifting News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076","name":"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter - World Bodybuilding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-17T08:44:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/945887_1770194073-image1542x1032-crop.jpg","width":1542,"height":1032},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14076#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Doaa Shayea opens up about being a Muslim para powerlifter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/","name":"World Bodybuilding News","description":"Data, Rankings, Results.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2","name":"World Bodybuilding News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo","caption":"World Bodybuilding News"},"url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}