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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

While You Were Sleeping: Sarah Attar Makes History as First Saudi Woman to Compete in Athletics at the Olympics

by Kellie Foxx-Gonzalez | 11:01 am, August 8th, 2012


Saudi Arabia’s Sarah Attar made history in the 800m heats by becoming the first woman from her country to compete in athletics at the Olympics. She finished 43 seconds behind heat winner Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei of Kenya.

  • Belarus’ Nadzeya Ostapchuk clinched the gold during the women’s shot put. Australia’s Valerie Adams took 2nd, and Russia’s Evgeniia Kolodko took 3rd. (via The Washington Post.)
  • American Jennifer Suhr placed 1st in the women’s pole vault event. Cuba’s Yarisley Silva placed 2nd, and Russia’s Elena Isinbaeva placed 3rd. (via CBS.)
  • Russia’s Yuliya Zaripova picked up a gold medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi placed in 2nd, and Ethiopia’s Sofia Assefa placed in 3rd. (via The Sacramento Bee.)

  • Russia’s Aliya Mustafina placed 1st in the women’s artistic gymnastics uneven bars. China’s Kexin He picked up silver, and Great Britain’s Elizabeth Tweddle picked up bronze. (via The Bleacher Report.)
  • China’s Lijia Xu picked up a gold medal during the women’s laser radial sailing event. Netherlands’ Marit Bouwmeester placed in 2nd, and Belgium’s Evi Van Acker placed in 3rd. (via Sail World.)
  • Great Britain’s Laura Trott placed in first in the women’s omnium track cycling event. American Sarah Hammer picked up silver, and Australian Anette Edmondson picked up bronze. (via The Washington Post.)

  • Australian Anna Mears secured a gold medal in the women’s sprint cycling event. Great Britain’s Victoria Pendleton placed in 2nd, and China’s Shang Guo placed in 3rd. (via The Daily Telegraph.)
  • China’s Linlin Deng edged out  fellow countryperson Lu Sui for the gold in the women’s artistic beam event. American Alexandra Raisman placed in 3rd. (via The Chicago Tribune.)
  • American Alexandra Raisman clinched the gold during the women’s artistic floor exercise. Romania’s Catalina Ponor placed in 2nd, and Russia’s Aliya Mustafina placed in 3rd. (via The Miami Herald.)

  • Spain’s Marina Alabau Neira won the women’s RS-X sailing event, followed closely by Ukraine’s Olha Maslivets. Poland’s Zofia Noceti-Klepacka nabbed bronze. (via Sail World.)
  • Russia’s Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina clinched the gold during the women’s synchronized swimming duets. Spain’s Ona Carbonell Ballestero and Andrea Fuentes Fache placed in 2nd, and China’s Xuechen Huang and Ou Liu placed in 3rd. (via ESPN.)
  • Team China secured a gold medal during the women’s team table tennis event. Team Japan placed in 2nd, and Team Singapore placed in 3rd. (via The Boston Herald.)

Previously in The 2012 London Olympics

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  • Anonymous

    And she had to do it swathed head to toe in fabric and the disapproving gazes of her countrymen, so that has to count for something.

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    I didn’t want to be the first person to say something negative, so thanks. The impracticality of her clothing chaffs me more than the fundamentalist attitude it suggests. Side note, can we engineer a superflu that only fundamentalists are susceptible to? The world would be a more cohesive, peaceful place without them.

  • Anonymous

    In fairness, I think the fact that she’s competing at ALL is miles of progress. I commented when they marched in the parade that while they WERE there, they were also marching BEHIND the men. baby steps.

    And the outfit is really just a running suit and the hijab (I think that’s the right term), so it’s not like they’re making her run in the burqua. 

    So, progress, and that she did SO well while having (okay, choosing) to wear it is quite the feat.

  • Nick Gaston

    Alas, Sadaf Rahimi of Afghanistan didn’t get to compete in women’s boxing this year (due to officials’ safety concerns re her skill level in comparison to the other fighters), which I was personally looking forward to—she looks like she could beat me to death straight through the Google Images sceen. I hope to see her at Rio in ’16!

  • http://twitter.com/MarySueTwiteth Mary Sue

    Uh, Wojdan Shaherkani competed for Saudi Arabia five days ago in Judo. So, you know, not the first.

  • Anonymous

    “In Athletics” :]

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    Agreed. Progress should be acknowledged…it’s just difficult to do, sometimes.

  • Anonymous

    Only fair – the progress is often as difficult to achieve as it is to acknowledge.

  • Stina Qvarnström

    I actually think that there was someone in judo earlier this week! But cudos anyways!

  • http://twitter.com/Tera_Argentis Kelly

    Valerie Adams is a New Zealander. This is the second time I’ve seen my fellow countrywomen end up not being referred to as being Kiwi on this site.

  • http://twitter.com/Tera_Argentis Kelly

    Valerie Adams is a New Zealander. This is the second time I’ve seen my fellow countrywomen end up not being referred to as being Kiwi on this site.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/LKHD6LGDHSQRYUURF6RFW6EYT4 Katherine

    I was about to say the same.

  • Anonymous

    “NEVER refer to a Kiwi as an Aussie”
    –Zoe Bell, “Death Proof”

  • http://twitter.com/Super_Widget Joanna

    You should totally mention Irish Katie Taylor who won gold in the first ever Olympics women’s boxing. =)

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