Beyond giving athletes the chance to represent their country and win the most coveted prize, the esteemed medals, the Olympics also gives athletes the opportunity to progress in their athletic abilities by setting impressive world records.
Today, we are shining a light on the Arab athletes who accomplished this impressive feat during the Paris 2024 Olympics:
Layla Al-Masri
Known as the 800m champion, Al-Masri made a name for herself during the Paris Olympics after she set a new national record for Palestine in the 800m run with a time of 2:12:21.
When she runs, she doesn’t do it for herself; she does it for her nation: “I run for Palestine to represent something bigger than myself, the resilience of the Palestinian people, to bring voices to the voiceless.”
Ahmed El Gendy
Making Egypt extremely proud, not only did El Gendy win the coveted gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics, but he also managed to break the Olympic record in the modern pentathlon with a score of 1513, which he accumulated as he competed in the fencing, riding, swimming, running, and shooting events.
Winfred Yavi
Slaying the 3000m steeplechase, Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi wins her race in a time of 8:52.76, taking over six seconds off the old Olympic record that was made back in 2008. Along with the Olympic record, she bags a gold medal to make her nation proud.
Soufiane Rahimi
Dominating the soccer field in this year’s Paris Olympics is Moroccan footballer Soufiane Rahimi, whose record-breaking performance propelled Morocco to a historic bronze medal. He set a record for the most goals scored in a single Olympic tournament by achieving a total of 8 goals.
Sara Ahmed
Beyond nabbing the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Egyptian weightlifter Sara Ahmed achieved both a national record and a new record across Africa in the 81kg Women’s Final after lifting a total of 268 kilos.
After setting a new bar, Norwegian athlete Solfrid Koanda beat her record by lifting 275 kilos. Still, Ahmed had set a new record before Koanda’s higher lift.
Each of these athletes knew how to etch their names in Olympic history by upping their predecessors, setting new records, and proving their worth on the global sporting stage.
