Help Me Win the First Olympic Medal for Palestine

The story so far

Two events originally inspired me to pursue this dream. In 2012, I watched athletes bring pride to their nations at the London Olympic Games. Ruta Meilutyte, at just 15 years old, won a gold medal for Lithuania in swimming. And then in 2013, a young Palestinian singer, Mohammad Assaf, won the Arab Idol competition. His victory lit up the streets with joy in a way I had never experienced before. That day, I knew I wanted to bring the same joy to my country if I could.

I taught myself to sprint using YouTube videos and a run-down high school track near my house. I didn’t know where I was going with this; I only knew that I had to run.

In 2014, I met with Coach Crystal Dunlap, who tirelessly and systematically worked with me to bring my times down. She later introduced me to Coach Bill Collins, himself a decorated sprinter, who saw potential in me and generously agreed to train me for 7 months in the U.S prior to the Rio 2016 Olympics. With the help of my family and friends, I launched the first crowd-funding campaign to sponsor my training in Texas. I was overwhelmed by the support I got from that campaign in 2015. My time in Houston helped me to make drastic improvements to my 100m and 200m runs, and more importantly, strengthened my resolve and determination to represent Palestine on the international arena.

Six years later, I am still out on the track every day - with Tokyo 2020 as my goal.

A golden opportunity