Arab Female Athletes Reach New Heights at The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
From bringing home gold to setting personal best records, one thing is certain: these women will continue to inspire us far beyond the closing ceremony…
There’s no doubt about it: women from the region, competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, have plenty to feel proud about as this year’s competitions, races and matches come to a close.
The athletes demonstrated incredible abilities in a wide range of sports at the games in a number of different events including golfing, weightlifting, swimming, judo, taekwondo and karate, just to name a few.
Egyptian karateka Feryal Ashraf Abdelaziz became Egypt’s first woman to win an Olympic gold medal after beating Azerbaijani Irina Zaretska 2-0 in the final for the women’s karate kumite +61kg competition at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena, while Hedaya Malak took home bronze in women’s Taekwondo -67kg event days earlier.
Giana Lotfy, also from Egypt, claimed an Olympic bronze medal in karate during the women’s karate kumite competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
Iranian taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh, who is a member of the Refugee Olympic Team, impressed many people at the 2020 Olympics after she beat two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Jones early on in the competition.
Moroccan golfer Maha Haddioui shot a hole-in-one on the seventh hole in the women’s Olympic golf competition at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo. She shared a photo of herself on Instagram at the golf course in Tokyo with the caption, “What an honor seeing the Moroccan flag float on the Olympic golf course.”
Lebanese weightlifter Mahassen Hala Fattouh Paiva made history during her Olympic debut when she became the first female weightlifter to represent Lebanon. She competed in the 76 kg weightlifting event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Mahassen finished third in Group B and ninth overall with a total of 221 kg.
Mahassen expressed her gratitude in a post on Instagram.
“There are no words to describe how thankful I am. I didn’t do this alone and it’s been a very difficult 17-year journey,” she writes. “I couldn’t have done this without my coaches, family, friends, weightlifting community, and the support from Lebanese all over the world,” she adds.
Syrian table tennis player, Hend Zaza was the youngest athlete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hend was also the youngest Olympian athlete in any sport since 1992.
Kuwaiti swimmer Lara Dashti who is only 17 years old not only competed in the women’s 50m freestyle during the Olympics but she became Kuwait’s first female athlete to carry her country’s flag at an Olympic opening ceremony.
She posted a photo of herself at the 2020 Olympics with the caption, “An experience of a lifetime! Thank you, God, and everyone who has supported me.”
With their immense athletic talents and dedication to the sports they played, these Arab female athletes have impressed audiences across the globe and will continue to inspire future generations of Arab women for many years to come.
Congratulations to all who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.