Samia Yusuf Omar (Saamiya Yuusuf Cumar)

Who was she?

Samia Yusuf Omar was a sprinter from Somalia (Wikipedia, Samia Yusuf Omar). She was one of two athletes who ran for Somalia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (same source).

Early life

She was born on 25 March 1991, the eldest of six children (Wikipedia). Her mother had run at national level in Somalia (same source). Her family came from one of Somalia's minority communities (same source). After her father died, she left school to care for her siblings (same source). See minority communities.

Training in Mogadishu

Her mother encouraged her to run (Wikipedia). She trained at Mogadishu Stadium, on a gravel track marked by shell craters (same source). She also ran in the streets, where she faced harassment from armed men who opposed women in sport (same source).

Beijing 2008

The Somali Olympic Committee chose her for the 200 metres (Wikipedia). She ran in kit given by the Sudanese team (same source). She finished in 32.16 seconds, last in her heat (same source). The crowd cheered her loudly all the way to the line (same source). See sport in Somalia.

After the Games

She later moved to Addis Ababa, where she looked for a coach (Al Jazeera, "Grieving for Somali Olympian Samia Omar", 2012). She hoped to bring her mother and younger siblings to join her (same source). "I love Somalia, but there is no peace," she told the reporter (same source).

The journey

She travelled through Sudan to Libya, hoping to train in Italy (Al Jazeera). In April 2012 her boat ran out of fuel. She drowned near an Italian navy ship. She was 21 (same source). The news became public during the London Olympics. Her sister and Abdi Bile spoke of what happened (same source). See migration routes.

In her words

"If Somalia had peace, it would be the best place to live in the world," she said (Al Jazeera).

In short

A sprinter who ran for Somalia at the 2008 Olympics.