4 Arab Female Athletes Leading the Way in Sports

1. Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur is a Tunisian tennis player. Having been introduced to the sport by her mother at a young age, she began her professional career by playing for the ITF Junior Circuit in 2007 at the age of 13. Since then, she has managed to get our attention on her amazing feats. In the 2020 Australian Open, for instance, she became the only Arab tennis player to make it into the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tournament, and, previously, the first and only Arab woman to reach the third round of both the French Open 2017 and US Open 2019 Grand Slam. She had also won a total of 11 singles titles, and one doubles title at the ITF Women's Circuit. In addition, she currently holds the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of No. 30, which makes her the highest ranked Arab player in WTA’s history, and was named Arab Woman of the Year in Sports in 2019.

2. Farida Osman

Farida Osman is an Egyptian swimmer who specializes in both butterfly and freestyle events. Watching her older brother swim at their local club as a toddler, she was inspired to become a professional swimmer, while overcoming many hurdles along the way. She is currently the fastest female swimmer in Egypt, and the whole of Africa, holding senior records in all the butterfly, freestyle, and backstroke events in Egypt. In addition, she also holds African records in both 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly.

3. Sarah Attar

Attar is a Saudi-American track and field athlete famously known as one of the first two female Olympians to represent the Kingdom. She competed in the 800 meters heat at the London Games of 2012, becoming the first ever Saudi woman to participate in the race. She also competed in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics.

By merging her landscape photography with her track training, Olympic athlete Sarah Attar is reaping the benefits of her two very different passions.https://t.co/VFFWiUDPdm

— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) December 8, 2020

When she is not trailblazing on the track, Attar is also a photographer, nutritionist, and writer. She describes her photography as one that “focuses on sharing intricacies and subtle but profound moments experienced in nature. all of her pursuits come back to a common theme of connecting to and exploring the earth.” 

4. Zahra Lari

Zahra Lari is an Emirati figure skater. She is best known for being the first Emirati woman to compete internationally, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab on the field. Indeed, it's not hard to see how she became a role model to aspiring girl athletes in the region.

Currently, a documentary about Lari's career is in preproduction as a result of her impact on women and sport in the region, and will feature interviews with the people making it.