Sarah Attar

Sarah Attar ( born August 27, 1992 Escondido, United States) is a Saudi Arabian athlete on the middle distance. Besides Wojdan Shaherkani she was the first female participant in the Olympic Games in their country at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Sarah Attar was born in the USA and also grew up there. Her mother is a U.S. citizen, her father came from Saudi Arabia. In addition to the Saudi she also owns the U.S. citizenship. Since 2012 she has been studying as owner of Rex Hamilton Memorial Art Scholarship at Pepperdine University in Malibu art.

For a stir in 2012 the appointment Attar and the judoka Wojdan Shaherkani in the Olympic team of Saudi Arabia, which up to these games never allowed female athletes to participate alongside Brunei and Qatar. At the urging of the International Olympic Committee (IOC ), which wanted to see at all participating nations represented including women for the first time, were with the two young athletes abroad found women who could represent the country. You had to walk behind their male fellow athletes during the invasion of the athletes during the opening ceremony, which also did not correspond to the practices of other nations. In its appeal both benefited from contracts awarded by the IOC wild cards, since they could not have done a regular qualification. Intermediate consumption of Attar in international competitions do not exist. Attar's first mission on August 8, she denied covered almost all over the body, was also expected to be the last. Attar difference in their lead with a large residue of all the other runners. Her time of 2:44,95 min it was almost three quarters of a minute behind the winner of the leader, Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei from Kenya and almost 49 seconds behind the winner, Marija Sawinowa in the final. Only Merve Aydin from Turkey ran with 3:24,35 even far worse time minutes at the games. Your best time of 2:40 min missed the athlete, who had operated Athletics already active in their school days.

As one of the first representatives in the Olympics Saudi Arabia Attar received wide public attention. She had several journalists question and answer are, also benefited from its open and self-confident Art indirect complained to compliance with the lack of opportunities for young girls to practice in a time of developing sport in which the foundations for future success are laid, but more general problems such as the ban on women driving cars. On the other hand, they also saw a positive development, which is evident in their and the appointment of Shaherkani.