The United Arab Emirates has no shortage of gold, but it's a different type of gold Tia Zimmerman will be after when she heads to Abu Dhabi in March, a gold medal.

Tia Zimmerman, from Englefeld, will be part of Team Canada's swimming team for the Special Olympics World Games that take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE in March of 2019.

Zimmerman, 17, said she was "more shocked than excited," when she found out she would be heading across seas to take part in the event. Zimmerman recently took part in Nationals for Special Olympics in Antigonish, NS where she captured 5 medals including a gold and two silvers. The busy schedule has not slowed down since. " I've been swimming constantly, three days a week since I've come back. My coaches said I've improved, but I don't know, I'm tough on myself,  my technique has improved," said Zimmerman. 

It's not all swimming to help her prepare. Zimmerman has now added strength and conditioning workouts to the regime. "When I went to Nationals I didn't really focus on workouts, it was just swimming, but now I'm more focused on doing both," she said. When asked if that was a lot to handle, she laughed and said, "Oh yeah!, but I manage to drag myself through it." 

Zimmerman was originally one of the alternates on the team leading up to Nationals. When one of the spots open up, she was called into action. A five-medal performance was too tough to ignore when looking ahead to Abu Dhabi, as Zimmerman is now a full member on Team Canada's Special Olympics Swimming Team.

The Special Olympics World Games take place from March 14th - 21st, 2019. Zimmerman expects to take part in around 5 events.