Dalma Rushdi Malhas

Dalma Rushdi Malhas (* 1992 in Ohio) is a Saudi Arabian jumper. By participating in the Summer Youth Olympic Games 2010 in Singapore, she became the first female Olympic competitor from Saudi Arabia. In the individual competition she won the bronze medal, the only medal of Saudi Arabia at these games.

Life

Dalma Rushdi Malhas was born in 1992 in the state of Ohio of the United States. She is of Palestinian origin, but has the Saudi Arabian citizenship. In addition to her mother tongue is Arabic, she also speaks English, Italian and French. Malhas is the granddaughter of the Palestinian author Rusdi aṣ - Salih MALHAS.

At the age of four she began riding. As a twelve year old, she participated in several international competitions in Rome under the supervision of Duccio Bartalucc. Bartalucc is a former coach of the Italian show jumping team at the Olympic Games. Then she went to France and trained at Forsan Equestrian Centre in Chantilly.

Your success in several international competitions attracted the attention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This had its member countries a mandatory quota of at least one female athlete imposed in order to participate as a nation in the Olympic Games must. It was therefore invited by the IOC to represent Saudi Arabia at the Summer Youth Olympic Games 2010. Although they have the citizenship addition has no special relationship to the land, they accepted this invitation.

Malhas was also nominated for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It would have been the first participation of Saudi Arabia representing woman in full-fledged Olympic Games. However, due to a violation of her horse she could not meet the qualification criteria of the International Equestrian Federation in time and will therefore be unable to participate in the Games. But it has announced its intention to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics.