Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – She came last, but received one of the loudest ovation of anyone making history as the first Saudi female athlete to compete on the Olympic track. Sarah Attar completed the 800m heat in 2 minutes, 44 seconds during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium, Wednesday. She brought up the rear but was cheered on by the crowd as she raced to the finish line in her green long-sleeved top and white headscarf. “This is such a huge honor and an incredible experience, just to be representing the women,” Attar said. “Just having so much support in the stadium, I know this can make a huge difference,” Attar told reporters later. She smiled broadly and waved at the crowd as her name was announced. Three minutes later she drew a roar of approval from the crowd of about 80,000 as she strode down the home stretch. Attar, 19, is the first Saudi woman to compete in athletics during the Games and one of the first two women to officially represent Saudi Arabia in the Olympics. Compared to her fellow athletes, Attar is not a professional and although she came in last, her name will forever be in history. Attar's time, though, meant little. She left her mark on the London Games. “When I was running and hearing the people, it was like this crazy roar,” said Attar, a student at Pepperdine with dual Saudi and US citizenship. “Just being in the Olympic Stadium, what a crazy, amazing experience. ... Whatever this turns into, I know that just seeing that kind of support is something really good.” Attar's feat was met with mixed reactions on social networking sites. Twitter users were divided with many supporting her and others who believed her participation was against Islamic rules, a disgrace to Saudi women or both. Attar and Wojdan Shahrkhani, the other Saudi female Olympian who was eliminated in the +78kg round of 32 judo match earlier this week, received support not only locally but also internationally, marking their participation as historic and a step forward for Saudi women. The hashtag #SarahAttar made a worldwide trend on Twitter for a few minutes after the race with people tweeting: “although she came last, she made history”. Sarah A. Al-Assiri, 29, 3rd Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed her gratitude for the decision to allow female athletes to participate with hijab in the Olympics. “Glad to see the participation of Saudi women and would like to see more in the future,” Al-Assiri said, adding that she was happy to see Saudi female athletes participating along with their male counterparts. “I support Sarah Attar and her will and determination to be one of the two first Saudi women athletes to take part in the Olympics.” Ahmed Mulla, a 28-year-old sports enthusiast, said that Attar's participation in the Games was an excellent first step toward formalizing sports in girls' schools in the country. “Sarah didn't qualify by right (qualification races) but was given an invitation by the International Olympics Committee to fulfill the requirement of having a female on each team. Having said that, her participation is a step forward to getting associations set up for women's sports. I would love to see our women qualify in any sport by right. That, to me, is true victory for women's sport. We just might win a medal one day, you never know,” Mulla said. Mulla believes Attar's participation broke a barrier in Saudi culture. “Now, other women will aspire to break Attar's record.” On the backlash she received from Saudis, Mulla said it's sad but there are always people who resist change. “If proper attire was their concern, you can find women in the Kingdom's malls wearing worse clothes than what she was wearing. I truly am amazed by her courage to do this. I'm also looking forward to the next Olympic games,” he added. Tahani Milibari , a 37-year-old businesswoman, said she was proud of Attar. “Attar was running at the 2012 Olympics for her country and she is the first Saudi woman to run those tracks. Many have insulted, mocked and abandoned her. Despite all that, she ran for herself, for her fellow women and for her country,” said Milibari. Milibari believes Attar's participation will pave the way for future Saudi female Olympians. “When she reached the finish line, she received a standing ovation. People realized that they had just witnessed something outstanding. Sarah just made history,” she added. Marwa Salem, a radio host at MixFM, said that she was honored by Attar's participation. “ We, as women, are proud of her because she was able to overcome many obstacles and she was given a chance like any other woman in the world.”
