Samia Yusuf OMAR

Samiya Omar bravely fought discrimination as a Muslim woman who tried to compete in athletics. After the 2008 Olympics she faced death threats and intimidation when she returned to Somalia. She moved to Ethiopia in October 2010 to attempt to find a coach to help her train for the London Olympics. She later moved to the Sudan and then Libya in late 2011, where she was briefly lost in the Libyan desert and then was detained by authorities. She tried to escape another Muslim nation and move to Italy, travelling by boat. Details are murky but it seems that the boat ran out of fuel in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. An Italian Naval ship approached them and threw out some ropes, but Omar apparently died with six other people in trying to get over to the Naval ship.

Personal Best: 200 – 32.16 (2008).