“As long as I have ambition, maybe I can achieve something for my country.”

“Despite all these obstacles and bad security situation, I have the energy and the resolve to train, but my head is full of ideas and it distracts me, and I need to focus.”

“I need one psychological expert to help me concentrate.”

“If I leave this sport, I think life will stop.”

“I'm very ambitious, despite all the challenges I face in the streets.”

“It's my dream, my goal to be good at Olympics, anywhere they are in the world.”

“Life must continue, even with the security situation so bad, because I have ambitions. I love this sport too much.”

“Sports can unify the Iraqi people - no Sunnis, no Shiites, just sport for the country.”

“To be able to live and train in Iraq under these circumstances you need to be brave.”