100 of the Most Influential Women in Sport >> Arabs

Sarah Attar, Saudi Arabia

Track athlete

Attar rose to prominence after she became one of the first female athletes to represent Saudi Arabia at the London 2012 Olympics. She may have finished last in the 800m distance but her history-making run has since inspired thousands of women worldwide, especially in Saudi where the interest in athletics has grown considerably over the past seven years. The 26-year-old continues to be a trailblazer for women’s sport and has gone on to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the marathon distance. She studied art at Pepperdine University and combines training with her love of photography, nature and mountain climbing. A highly influential figure on the global stage, Attar is currently stepping up preparation at Mammoth Lakes, San Diego as she aims to achieve the 2:45:00 marathon qualifying time necessary for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

– In 2018, Attar set a national record at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon with a stunning time of 1:26:47, topping her previous personal best of 1:31:41 which she set in 2015.

– She clocked a personal best time of 3:07:16 in the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

– During a break from her training last year, she summited Mount Whitney – the highest mountain peak in the United States.

Did you know…

Attar is trained by American marathon recorder holder Deena Kastor, who is a bronze medallist in the women’s marathon from Athens 2004.

“Sarah Attar’s triumph in London has brought a clamour for more women from the Kingdom to follow in her footsteps.” – Dr. Rezan Baker (Source: Arab News)

Twitter: @theSarahAttar

Instagram: SarahAttar