by Fatima Aruri

RAMALLAH, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Basel Qatamesh, 29, a CrossFit coach in Ramallah has scored a first for Palestinian athletes after qualifying to the CrossFit regional competition to face world athletes based in Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe.

CrossFit is a combo mix of Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics and body weight movements performed at high intensity, more often than less happening in one hour long group classes that reinforce the collective competitive spirit.

In the annual CrossFit Open competition, Qatamesh came in 14th place out of over 35,000 athletes across the region, which qualified him to the next completion on the regional level amongst international athletes.

This is considered a huge achievement for this young Palestinian athlete's career, that Qatamesh says came out of the supportive environment he enjoyed and his hard work over the past two years.

He has opened his own certified CrossFit affiliate gym in Palestine in late 2014, and today over 300 men and women train at it, known as Pal-Fit, the home of CrossFit in Palestine, located in Al-Bireh city, adjacent to Ramallah.

"It is still a shock," he said, wondering "is it real that my work over the two years of hard work, effort over days with the help of many people around me have got me to this point? But I discovered that this is what gets you through; hard work."

He went on explaining "I have been practicing this sport for seven years, before that, I had practiced other sports before, but in the past seven years, I have been focused on CrossFit only."

Qatamesh has a Masters degree from a UK university specializing in sport therapy and focused his research on "the effect of CrossFit training on psychological resilience and mental toughness".

He said "what I discovered is that it's true that this sport has a physical impact, where it strengthens the muscles, the respiratory system, flexibility and the fitness in general, but also that this fitness and flexibility has a significant psychological impact on the individual and his life."

As head coach, Qatamesh is described by members of the CrossFit community in the West Bank, as "motivated", "inspiring" and "a tough athlete". He is widely popular and has touched the lives of many, including 22 year old Jana A-Kiswani, who has been training at Pal-Fit since 2015.

She said the sport "has made her life healthier, my whole life style has turned into a healthy one, it got me rid of 18 kilograms and gain muscles, and has made me come to the gym everyday with motivation for competition, with the urge to lift more weights and challenge myself."

Speaking to Fadi Abu N'imeh, an emerging film maker who has joined the CrossFit hub in Palestine six months ago, he said that this is the longest time he has ever been at a gym and that what motivates him the most is the dedication and hard work he sees in the different coaches, who are keen on sharpening their skills daily at the same gym.

"I used to be reluctant to go to a gym and train on my own, but in CrossFit, when you see the communal work and most importantly seeing your coaches training in front of you gives you confidence that you can also achieve," said Abu Ni'meh.

Expressing his admiration of Qatamesh's achievement, he said "there are over 200 thousands competing world over for the annual Open competition, but I think it's the idea of commitment and daily persistence; I used to come in the morning and he would be training, I can come in the afternoon and he would be there training or come in the evening to watch and he would also be there training. This is what gives everybody else a push, regardless of any international scores."

It is no secret that Palestinian sports infrastructure is struggling towards advancement, but that's a unique added value for CrossFit, which is based on functional body movements, that are core movements used in daily life.

Another secret that creates the sense of community in this sport is that it's never redundant with its changing and dynamic workouts that serve specific physical purpose, says Qatamesh, who feels proud of the friendly and encouraging atmosphere that is motivating him towards more achievements.