Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

How to Defy the Odds and Become Your Own Champion with Olympic Boxer Ramla Ali #202

Sep 21, 2021

In this insightful conversation, Olympic boxer Ramla Ali shares her inspiring journey from being a refugee fleeing Somalia to representing her country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She reflects on her childhood experiences with bullying and the dual challenges of cultural identity and racism. Ramla discusses the empowerment she found through boxing and modeling, as well as her struggles with confidence. She emphasizes the importance of community, resilience, and creating inclusive spaces for women in sports, while encouraging others to embrace their authentic selves.

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ANECDOTE

Lost Birth Certificate

Ramla Ali's birth certificate was lost during the Somali Civil War, making her exact age unknown.
Her sister made up a birthdate so Ramla could start school early and receive free meals.

ANECDOTE

Different Olympic Experience

Ramla's Olympic experience was different from Western athletes due to lack of funding and support staff.
She and her husband/trainer were the only ones in jeans, having no official kit.

ANECDOTE

Recalling Childhood

Ramla didn't remember her early childhood in Somalia.
She learned about it later through her husband's conversations with her mother.

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Caution: Contains themes of an adult nature.

The term ‘inspirational’ can be overused when it comes to describing public figures. But in the case of today’s guest, it couldn’t be more fitting. Ramla Ali is a professional sportswoman who became the first-ever boxer to compete for Somalia in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Her incredible story is told in her new book Not Without A Fight: Ten Steps To Becoming Your Own Champion, and I’m honoured to hear it from her first hand.

Ramla is a former refugee whose family fled from Somalia to Kenya after the civil war. After settling in the UK, she describes a pivotal moment in her teenage years when she was attacked by a group of boys for wearing a hijab. This, together with advice from her GP that she was obese, proved an incentive for Ramla to begin boxing. But it was a secret she kept hidden from her traditional, religious family.

We talk about the range of feelings these events gave rise to, sharing our thoughts on the immigrant experience, and on being the subject of parental disapproval as well as pride. And we discuss Ramla’s journey to the Olympics and how much the African experience differs to that of Western athletes. Until she found sponsorship, modelling helped to pay Ramla’s way in sport. Yet she talks with touching honesty about struggles with confidence, self-esteem and finding her identity as a Somali woman in the public eye.

Today, Ramla’s confidence comes from the knowledge she has achieved all this against the odds – and that her fight helps women and girls of all backgrounds, races and religions to be seen. She’s giving back not just through this platform and as a Unicef Ambassador, but through her Sisters Club, a free boxing club that provides a safe space for women in London to access the sport. Ramla is a true role model and living proof that we can all be our own champions. I really think you are going to enjoy listening.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/202

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