Fatema Hameed Gerashi

Fatema Hameed Gerashi, born in 1987 or 1988, is a Bahraini swimmer.

She represented her country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, competing in the women's 50 metres freestyle race. At the age of 12, she was the youngest competitor of any event and any nationality at the Sydney Games. [ [http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/communities/swimming/swimmingrepor53.html "Trio of try-hards splash their way into our hearts"] , "The Times", September 22, 2000] [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/09/23/anderson_arab_women/ "Arab women make breakthrough at Games"] , CNN, September 23, 2000] She completed the race with a time of 51.15 [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2000/09/23/spswi.xml "Swimming: Next to Paula Eric the Eel is electric"] , Martin Johnson, "The Telegraph", November 7, 2000] , finishing more than twelve seconds ahead of Equatorial Guinea's Paula Barila Bolopa, but was disqualified, reportedly for having wobbled on the starting blocks, which was deemed a false start despite her not having been the first competitor to enter the water. [ [http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/communities/swimming/swimmingrepor53.html "Trio of try-hards splash their way into our hearts"] , "The Times", September 22, 2000]

"The Times" praised her "Olympic spirit" and her "brave, technically proficient race". [ [http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/communities/swimming/swimmingrepor53.html "Trio of try-hards splash their way into our hearts"] , "The Times", September 22, 2000] "The Guardian" likewise praised her participation as conforming to "the true spirit of the Olympics". [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sydney/story/0,,372107,00.html "Debut girl falls foul of gulf in international standards"] , "The Guardian", September 23, 2000] "The Telegraph" described her as "a pioneer for Arabian Muslim women in a sport where the disrobing of the performers creates religious and cultural problems." [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2000/09/21/sphay21.xml "Children of the pool fast-tracked into the big time"] , "The Telegraph", July 11, 2000] Her participation was reportedly part of the Bahraini government's stated effort to promote "equality in sport". [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2000/09/21/sphay21.xml "Children of the pool fast-tracked into the big time"] , "The Telegraph", July 11, 2000]

ee also

* Mariam Mohamed Hadi Al Hilli
* Bahrain at the 2000 Summer Olympics
* Francois Latil, the oldest competitor at the Sydney Olympics, while Gerashi was the youngest

References