Farida Osman, Egypt
Swimming
The success of an Arab athlete can be best determined by their impact back home. That could be through their ability to break certain stereotypes and misconceptions, or by helping to change the landscape of their sport. For Farida Osman, it’s been a combination of the two and remarkably, success has arrived so early in her 20s. The 24-year-old is undoubtedly the most successful Egyptian swimmer of all time, clinching a flurry of national records individually while also capturing her country’s first-ever medal in a World Swimming Championship, aged just 22. Already a two-time Olympian, Osman is deep in training for her third Summer Games and it’s thanks to her achievements so far that Egyptian swimming is now being taken far more seriously in a country which is mad for football. More athletes are competing on an international level and that progress can be traced back to Osman. A symbol for all young Arab athletes, Osman has used her platform to encourage other females to compete and she has become an important ambassador for her community.
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– Having graduated from the University of California with a marketing and advertising degree, Osman wants to combine her athletic background and degree by one day opening a sports academy.
– Osman was named as the Best African Female Athlete at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Awards 2017 in Prague
– The Egyptian swimmer won three medals, two gold and one silver at the 2018 Mediterranean games in Spain.
Did you know…
Born to dentist parents, the talented Egyptian started her swimming career at the age of five along with her brother, Ahmed, and then made it into the Egyptian Olympic team at the age of 17.
“I am really interested to help young females to achieve what they want to. I try to be as much of a role model as I can because I want to help and inspire other people—not only in sports but whatever goal they have.” – Farida Osman, (Source: Egypt Today)
Twitter: @FaridaOsman
Instagram: Farida_Osman
