Sarah Attar

Sarah Attar Personal information Nationality Saudi Arabian, American 27 August 1992 (age 19) Born Escondido, California Sport Country Sport Athletics Event(s) 800 metres

Sarah Attar (born 27 August 1992), is a athlete who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the first female Olympians representing Saudi Arabia. She has Saudi Arabian and American dual nationality and is currently a student at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles County, California.

Early life and education

Attar was born in Escondido, California in 1992.[1][2] Her mother, Judy, is an American national hailing from California[3] and her father, Amer, is a Saudi Arabian national.[4][5] She graduated from Escondido High School in 2010,[1] having competed for the school in .[6] As of 2012 she attends Pepperdine University,[2] where she is majoring in art, having won the Rex Hamilton Memorial Art Scholarship.[1]

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Athletic career

Attar was named one of the first two women to compete for Saudi Arabia in their Olympic team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The other woman representing Saudi Arabia is judoka Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani. Prior to June 2012, the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee had banned female athletes from competing at the Olympics,[7] but the International Olympic Committee had threatened to ban Saudi Arabia from the Games unless they allowed women to compete.[8] She was expected to wear outfits that comply with Islamic law.[9]

2012

Attar was one of two athletes from her University to be selected to compete at the Olympics, along with Roxanne Barker, who is on the South African team.[5]

During the Opening Ceremonies' Parade of Nations, Attar and Shahrkhani, the only two females in the Saudi Arabian delegation, were forced to walk behind their male teammates[10], unlike delegations from other Islamic nations.[11]

Attar competed in the women's 800 metres and took up the automatic qualification spot for a track and field athlete.[12][13] Her personal best at that distance is 2:40,[1] having competed at this distance during high school but nctureot since she has attended college.[12] Attar competed in Heat 6 of the women's 800m qualifying heats on August 8, 2012, where she finished last, with a time of 2:44.95. Despite finishing more than half a minute slower than her nearest competitor, hundreds of spectators stood and applauded Attar as she crossed the finish line[14].

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