Farah Ann binti Abdul Hadi, Malaysia’s artistic gymnast, was born in 1994. Farah Ann began gymnastics at the age of three and began competing in national-level competitions such as the Sukma Games. She made her debut in the 2010 Games in New Delhi, scoring 12.050 points (floor exercise), 10.500 points (beam), and 10.250 points (uneven bars) to help Malaysia place fourth in the team event. Farah Ann then won bronze in the floor exercise and team event at the Artistic Celtic Cup-Commonwealth Invitational in Perth, Scotland in 2014. Later the same year, at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, she finished 11th out of 24 gymnasts in the women’s individual all-round finals.
In 2015, she competed in all events — bars, beams, vaults, floor exercises, individual and team — in the preliminary stage of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and advanced to the finals of all events. She won her first gold medal in the team competitions, then another in the floor exercise. She then won silver medals in both the uneven bars and the individual competitions. She earned seven gold medals in the Sea Games.
She qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics entirely on merit, finishing 59th out of 180 gymnasts in the qualifying session of the individual all-around event at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. She is only the third Malaysian gymnast to make the Olympic team. The Olympic Council Malaysia named Farah the 2019 Female Olympian of the Year.
Farah Ann Hadi is a badass national athlete, and we all know it.
Not only is she the first Malaysian woman to qualify for the Olympics as an artistic gymnast in 20 years, but she was also unafraid of confronting false criticism about her sporting attire when she was only 21 years old.
Barbie has declared Farah a “Shero” and developed a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll in honour of her achievements as a professional athlete and national icon.
Barbie, a brand owned by the American toy firm Mattel, has evolved over time by sponsoring ads that empower women and educate young girls that “You Can Be Anything.”
Barbie teamed with Farah to produce this special Barbie to encourage young girls to participate in sports and become future athletes.
It is the first Barbie doll inspired by a Malaysian, and it wears Farah’s trademark silver-studded leotard in pink, gold, and white — the same outfit she wore at the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
“I am very honored to be recognized as a Barbie role model for young girls for sports,”Farah said in a press release made available to SAYS.
“I believe that all of us are capable of achieving our dreams and goals no matter what it may be. You just need to remember that self-belief is your greatest weapon in achieving anything.”
Aside from Farah, a seven-time SEA Games gold medalist, and Commonwealth silver medalist, the business has also named the following Malaysian athletes as Barbie Role Models:
- Nicol Ann David – World squash champion and sports advocate
- Leong Mun Yee – Four-time Olympic Diver
- Shahlin Zulkifli – Ten-pin bowler and former Asian number one
- Anja Chong – Short-track speed skater and four-time SEA Games Gold Medalist
However, Mattel confirmed to SAYS that neither Farah’s Barbie doll nor the other Malaysian sportsmen mentioned above will be available for purchase.
“They are created in likeness to the model as a tribute and acknowledgment of the recipient as a role model for girls globally,” a representative from the company said.
Barbie also made a special video with Farah, featuring rare footage of her performing gymnastic stunts around the house as a child, harnessing her talent at a young age:
