Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Bahrain |
Born | Amman, Jordan | February 21, 1990
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Swimming |
Strokes | Freestyle |
College team | George Washington University (2009) |
Sameera Al Bitar, sometimes listed as "Samira" or "Al-Bitar", (born February 21, 1990, in Jordan), [1] is a 2-time Olympic swimmer from Bahrain.
She was one of the first Muslim women representing an Arabian Peninsula country[ citation needed ] to swim in the Olympic Games, when she swam for Bahrain in the 50 metre freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The New York Times reported incorrectly that Bitar was "Bahrain's first female Olympic swimmer"; [2] in fact, Fatema Gerashi had represented Bahrain in swimming at the Sydney Olympics four years earlier. [3]
Bitar completed the 50m race with a personal best of 31.00 seconds, enough to win her heat but not enough to advance to the next round. [4] [5]
She again represented Bahrain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing [6] [7] and won her heat in the 50m freestyle. Her time of 30.32 was well ahead of second-place finisher in her heat, Benin's Gloria Koussihouede (at 37.09), but nonetheless insufficient to advance to the next round. [8]
She recently graduated from The George Washington University School of Business, where she majored in Finance and Sports Management. [9]
Represented Bahrain in two Olympics (Athens, 2004; Beijing, 2008), five World Championships (Barcelona, 2003; Montreal, 2005; Melbourne, 2007; Rome, 2009; Barcelona, 2013), and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
The Maldives competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Beijing, China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The country's participation at the Beijing Olympics marked its seventh appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The delegation included four athletes, two in athletics, and two in swimming who participated in four distinct events. Its four athletes did not advance past the first round in each of their events. Aminath Rouya Hussain carried the Maldivian flag during the parade of nations of the opening ceremony with sprinter Ali Shareef being the flagbearer for the closing ceremony. The country failed to win an Olympic medal at these Games and has yet to win their first medal.
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Niger sent five athletes, their second largest contingent ever, equalling the most sports in which they have participated. to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. It was Niger's 10th Olympics; their only medalist has been Issaka Dabore, in boxing, at the 1972 games.
Ngozi Rosalin Monu is a Nigerian swimmer. Monu is the most prolific female swimmer from Nigeria. She focuses on the 50m & 100m freestyle event. Her inaugural Olympiads was at the 2000 Sidney Summer Olympics. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Uche Monu, her younger sister, is also a swimmer who represents Nigeria in the Backstroke and freestyle events.
Rafed Ziad El-Masri is a German former swimmer of Syrian origin, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He is also a four-time national champion for Germany, and a gold medalist for the men's 50 m freestyle event at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, representing his ancestral homeland Syria.
Martha Matsa is a Greek swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She is a two-time Olympian, and a member of the swimming team for HAN Thessaloniki.
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Loren Yamilé Bahamonde Cabello is an Ecuadorian swimmer, who specialized in freestyle and butterfly events. She represented her nation Ecuador at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has won a career total of three bronze medals in a major international competition, spanning the two editions of the South American Games. Moreover, she collected a total of sixteen national records in three freestyle events.
Natasha Moodie is a Jamaican competitive swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She was a three-time national record holder and NCAA All-American champion, and a member of the Jamaican team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. While studying kinesiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Moodie trained and swam for the Michigan Wolverines team under head coach Jim Richardson. She is a member of the award-winning Team Rogers in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Nieh Pin-chieh is a Taiwanese swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She represented the Chinese Taipei national team in two editions of the Olympic Games, competing in a sprint freestyle double.
Mariya Bugakova is an Uzbekistani former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly and sprint freestyle events. She represented Uzbekistan at three editions of the Olympic Games. She is also the elder sister of backstroke swimmer and two-time Olympian Danil Bugakov. Bugakova is a law school graduate at the Tashkent State University of Economics.
Éva Dobár is a Hungarian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Dobar represented her nation Hungary at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and also trained as a member of the swimming team at Jövő Sports Club in Miskolc, under the tutelage of personal coach Balázs Fehérvári.
Ragnheiður Ragnarsdóttir, also known as Ragga Ragnars is an Icelandic actress and former swimmer, who specialised in sprint freestyle events. She is a multiple-time Icelandic record holder in both long and short course freestyle. After retiring from swimming, Ragnheiður studied acting and played the role of Gunnhild on the TV series Vikings from 2018 to 2020.
Monika Babok is a Croatian swimmer, who specialized in freestyle and butterfly events. She represented her nation Croatia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has won a silver medal in the 50 m butterfly (27.48) at the 2007 European Junior Swimming Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Babok was a member of the SMU Mustangs swimming and diving team, and a graduate of sports management at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
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Ghazal El Jobeili is a Lebanese former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. El Jobeili qualified for the women's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by receiving a Universality place from FINA, in an entry time of 31.42. She challenged six other swimmers in heat two, including 14-year-olds Sameera Al-Bitar of Bahrain and Christal Clashing of Antigua and Barbuda. She tied for first place with Al-Bitar in their personal bests of exactly 30 seconds. El Jobeili failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed sixty-third overall out of 75 swimmers on the last day of preliminaries.
Tracy Ann Route is a Micronesian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly events. She is a two-time Olympian, and holds numerous Pacific age group records in the freestyle and butterfly. She was the first woman to represent the Federated States of Micronesia at the Olympics.
Christal Ariana Clashing O'Reilly is an Antiguan swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She also completed a Trans-Atlantic crossing as part of an all-woman team. As a one-time Olympian (2004), she is coached and trained by her mother Edith O'Reilly Clashing, who founded the Wadadli Aquatic Racers (WAR), an elite swim club in Antigua. Her sister Karin O'Reilly Clashing competed in the 50-metre freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Han Choi is a Malawian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Choi became one of the first Malawian swimmers to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She qualified for the women's 50 m freestyle, by receiving a Universality place from FINA in an entry time of 32.33. She challenged six other swimmers in heat two, including 14-year-olds Sameera Al-Bitar of Bahrain and Christal Clashing of Antigua and Barbuda. She posted a lifetime best of 31.62 to earn a fourth spot by 0.62 of a second behind joint winners Al-Bitar and Ghazal El Jobeili of Lebanon. Choi failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed sixty-ninth overall on the last day of preliminaries.
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