Most newlyweds have their share of difficulty coming to grips with married life, but that cannot be said of Marcos Oliveira and Caroline de Lazzer.
The Brazilian couple, who tied the knot last year, are at the forefront of Abu Dhabi's wrestling scene and both hold world championships.
But their dreams of representing their country at wrestling's pinnacle, the Olympic Games, have narrowly gone unrealised.
Oliveira and de Lazzer were jiu-jitsu practitioners, but found wrestling to be a natural progression.
De Lazzer, 31, who has a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, watched the wrestling in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney with some curiosity.
"They looked like two alligators on the mat," she says. "I told my brother, who I was watching it with, that it was too crazy. He said: 'No this is a really good sport.' I watched some more and realised it too."
From there de Lazzer was hooked. Three years later while watching Brazil compete at the 2003 Pan American Games, she was told she had the talent to represent her country.
"I had a chance to compete but there was nowhere to train for me," she says.
She was watching the men train when the coach called her over.
"He asked my name and said he saw me wrestle and asked if I wanted to wrestle, and I was then on the national team," de Lazzer says.
She made it through three stages of qualifying, but just missed making the team for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Oliveira, 33, was also on the path to the Games. But he has since moved to mixed martial arts after missing Brazil's Olympic trials because he could not get back to the country in time.
"I was really disappointed," he says, adding he realised he would be too old by the time the next Games arrived. "Hopefully my first son or daughter will be in the Olympics."
The sport is as old as the Games and, over the centuries as wrestling has taken on different forms, the theory is still the same.
There are two disciplines, each with its own champions and governing bodies: Greco-Roman, where wrestlers cannot touch each other below the belt, and freestyle.
To win in either discipline, a wrestler must outscore his opponent or pin their shoulders to the mat. Takedowns and other technical points for reversals and exposures are scored between one and five.
Oliveira and de Lazzer say there is a strong community in the UAE with backgrounds in similar sports, such as jiu-jitsu.
"We had a lot of nationals representing the sport here and two went to the Arab Games" in Doha last year, de Lazzer says.
Although wrestling is technically an individual sport, young wrestlers need much support from their coaches and families.
"It is how I did it," Oliveira says. "My family never pushed me, never asked me for results and always gave me the support for school and as a sportsman.
"A wrestler needs a strong mind, very good balance, flexibility. They can't eat fast food. To be an Olympic wrestler, the diet is important."
Oliveira says there is a good foundation in the country for an Emirati wrestler to find success.
"I trained an Emirati kid and he has started to compete," he says. "We believe he can go on."
He goes to great lengths to explain that Olympic wrestling and television wrestling are totally different.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) "is a show and those guys, they don't have any sport affiliation to wrestling," Oliveira says.
"They use the wrestling foundation to make some movements still. Many wrestlers move to WWE when they retire."
eharnan@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
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Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 0
Wolves 2 (Traore 80', 90 4')
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Masters%20of%20the%20Air
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Company%20profile
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Results:
5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres
Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Saabah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Mukaram, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m
Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
