Standing ovation for hijab-wearing Saudi woman athlete as she finishes Olympic 800m heat almost a whole lap behind fellow competitors

• American-based Sarah Attar is the first Saudi track athlete to compete in the Olympics
• Runs 800m heat in time of 2:44.95, nearly 45 seconds behind the winner
• Saudi Olympic Committee only allowed women to take part in June

Daily Mail, by Adam Shergod, 8 August 2012

 

They say in the Olympics it's not the winning that counts, but the taking part.

And that was certainly the case this morning as Sarah Attar, the first female track athlete to compete for Saudi Arabia in the Olympics, was cheered every step of the way in her 800m heat.

In the end, she completed the two laps of the track nearly 45 seconds behind the winner, but her participation alone represented an historic moment.

Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar (centre) waves to the crowd in the Olympic
Stadium as she lines up in heat six of the women's 800m this morning

Attar completed the two laps of the 800m in a time of two minutes
44.95 seconds, nearly 45 seconds behind the leader

Dressed in a long-sleeved green training top, long jogging bottoms and a white hijab, she certainly stood out on the start line in sweltering heat in the Olympic Stadium.

And it was quickly obvious that Attar wasn't going to be able to keep pace with the rest of the field as she fell a long way behind.

But whatever the sport, Olympic crowds love a plucky trier and Attar was given a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line, almost a full lap behind the others.

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Her time of two minutes 44.95 seconds was a long way behind that recorded by the winner, Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei, who ran two minutes 01.04 seconds.

It doesn't matter though, because Attar is making history as one half of the first ever women's team to represent Saudi Arabia.

Speaking after the race, she said: 'It is such an honour to be representing Saudi Arabia. Hopefully this can make such a huge difference.

'It was such a unique opportunity [to represent Saudi Arabia], they invited me and welcomed me and to make that first step for women is just the most amazing feeling ever.'

Attar is the first female Saudi track athlete to participate in the Olympics
 after the nation's Olympic Committee overturned a ban on women. She was
given a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line

Her teammate, the judoka Wojdan Shaherkani, wrote her name into Olympic history on Friday when she was defeated by Puerto Rican Melissa Mojica in a first round bout.

The fight only lasted a minute but Shaherkani will forever have the distinction of being the first Saudi female Olympian.

The pair were forced to walk behind the male Saudi athletes in the Opening Ceremony parade of nations, a symbol of an ultra-conservative country in which women are actively discouraged from participating in sport.

The judoka Wojdan Shaherkani (left), getting to grips with Puerto Rican
Melissa Mojica in a first round bout, is the other woman in the Saudi squad

Both were given rapturous receptions by the British crowds as they took part in their events and their presence in London represents a giant stride forward for gender equality in their country.

Attar, 19, was born and raised in California and trains at Pepperdine University in Malibu, where she is studying art.

She has dual nationality because of her Saudi father Amer and chose to represent the Middle Eastern country.

The Saudi Olympic Committee overturned a ban on women athletes in June despite strong opposition from many quarters of society.

But officials demanded that all female competitors would be dressed 'to preserve their dignity' - hence the modest, long-sleeved garments and hijab covering the hair.

It was reported before the Games that Pepperdine University had been asked to remove photographs from an online biography of Attar because they showed her in a tank top and shorts with no hijab.

In Saudi Arabia, most women cover their heads and faces in public and wear a black cloak called an abaya.

She is one of a number of Middle Eastern track athletes who have competed in hijabs at the London Games, including Noor Hussain Al-Malki of Qatar and Shinoona Salah al-Habsi of Oman.

Noor Hussain Al-Malki (L) of Qatar pulled up injured during her 100m heat
and Oman's Shinoona Salah Al-Habsi (R) crosses the line in her 100m hea
on Friday

There were similar scenes in the Olympic Stadium when the Somalian 400m runner Zamzam Mohamed Farah finished nearly half a minute after the winner in her heat on Friday.

Wearing a blue hijab and 'modest' clothing, Farah was applauded by the crowd as she crossed the line.

Training facilities in Somalia are virtually non-existent, with those that do operate often pock-marked with bullet-holes.

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