'I used religion and sport to find my inner peace'

Doaa Shayea said her sport became her therapy

Plymouth para powerlifter Doaa Shayea credits religion and sport for helping her on her journey to find inner peace.

The 26-year-old, who was born with a spinal condition known as spina bifida, said she felt as though society had "constantly underestimated" her.

Shayea, a Muslim, said her confidence was "non-existent" as a child but as she got older she started researching her religion and embracing sport.

She said: "I kind of got closer and understood my religion and researched more and found that inner peace. Sport was something that I threw myself into, it was an escape, a therapy for me," she said.

After a sporting career in wheelchair tennis and wheelchair racing, she started competing in powerlifting, after taking up the sport aged 23.

She said her coach had to convince her to try powerlifting as it was a sport she considered too masculine for someone aware of their "feminine energy and feminine looks".

"I think it's because I associated powerlifting as a very male dominated sport. I didn't want to go into a sport that had a stigma of being really muscly and look really hench.

"I wanted to keep that feminine look but I think it's a stigma that as soon as a woman does weight training she's going to get a six-pack and crazy muscles and that's not true.

"I think it's really important for women to do weightlifting."

Doaa Shayea, aged 14 in 2012, bringing the Paralympic flame to Devon

Shayea, who described competing for her country as "truly an honour", now dedicates every day to her sport, training three hours at a time.

But as a child she felt as though her disability made her stand out and she recalled how she would "fake it" to hide "the pain and suffering".

She said: "[My confidence] was non-existent. I don't even know at one point if it was me faking it by being loud and extroverted to hide the pain and suffering and difference that I felt from everyone else.

'Wisdom comes with maturity'

"But even if you don't have a disability you want to fit in and belong, I think that's just us as human beings.

"So the add on of having a disability is something that makes you stand out to the rest of the crowd.

"And, obviously, as a kid you don't have the tools to be able to manage that.

"So for me, it was really hard to feel like I belonged or fitted in and to find that self-love and acceptance.

Shayea said it wasn't until you grew older and matured that wisdom came to you.

"That's when your mentality changes," she said.