Qatari female hurdler Mariam Farid: “I was told flat footers can’t compete professionally, but for me, nothing was impossible“
Mariam Farid
LAUSANNE, May 19, 2023 - Mariam Farid is a 25-year-old elite Track and Field star and one of the first hijabi female Qatari athletes to take part in the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019. A graduate of Communications with a minor in Middle Eastern studies from Ivy Leagues’ Northwestern University in Qatar, she became a regional and world icon after becoming an ambassador for multiple key events and brands like the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019 Bidding Team aged only 16, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Adidas and others. She is a great example of an active student-athlete and keeping her busy life schedule in check was no hurdle for her.
BEGINNINGS Born on 1st February 1998 in a family of 5 siblings - three of them have a career in medicine and a brother shares the same bachelor's specialty as Mariam - she joined the national team at 13 years of age, in her youth, she has been a super energetic person, always involved in sports "I had a competitive mentality since I was a child, coming from a sports-loving family, where my father played racket sports and my sister was a marathon runner. Running has always been a part of my life. It’s a sport that many people start at a young age, which they don’t realize.
"For instance, running starts when you’re in kindergarten by playing tag with friends, sometimes, even running away from your mother when she’s trying to feed you something you do not like. Furthermore, running is also incorporated into other kinds of sports such as basketball and football.
"For me, professionally, it has been almost 15 years since I have been doing track and field runs and being part of the national team of Qatar. Running has become a big part of my life ever since I was a child."
YOU CANNOT COMPETE! At the age of 9, Mariam joined a sports club where at the admission assessment, one of the coaches had told her: “You are flat-footed, you’re not going to succeed in competing, you should rather not go in that road, try something else.”
GOING PRO Mariam’s passion for sports led her to try running, volleyball, badminton and others, she started taking part in activities organized by Aspire Academy. One of Qatar's athletics coaches discovered her talent and asked her to undergo an assessment of her athletic abilities; “I was training one day at Aspire Academy, and I asked my dad how to qualify for the Qatari athletics national team, he contacted the person in charge, I did testing for a week then I got in, and within a couple of months, I was at the same level as other females who’s been on the national team for over 10 years”
A year after, Mariam competed in her first international competition with Team Qatar.
AMBASSADORIAL EXPERIENCE Aged 16, Mariam was an ambassador for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, a role which saw her travel to Monaco with representatives from Qatar’s government and other institutions. She was among a group of athletes including the high jump Olympic medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim, both have had ambassadorial roles by representing Qatar in the sporting showpiece. She delivered a heartfelt speech in French language, and Qatar won the hosting bid for 2019 where she participated in 400m hurdles.
“Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the IAAF World Athletics Championships,” she says. “This is an achievement and a source of pride for the Arab world, and it gave the Qatari community an opportunity to see their national team compete on home soil with some of the best athletics teams in the world, nurturing their passion for the sport."
HOW TO MANAGE A BUSY LIFE? Growing up, Mariam never saw her event-packed life being problematic and overwhelming, "I’ve always had time to do everything I want to do, I knew my priorities and I followed them, there was no negotiation with having a university degree, but training was important for me too. To do things you love, you have to do sacrifices. I have set my schedule according to what is more convenient, I balanced between my university, training and my social life when I'm neither studying nor training."
FAMILY SUPPORT Mariam pointed to many factors that contributed to her success today, the most important is growing up in a sports-loving family. From a young age, she was encouraged and supported by her parents, who were always keen to see sports become a big part of their children’s lives, recognizing their role in their physical and mental health.
A VOICE FOR WOMEN Mariam often receives praise from younger Arab female athletes and people around her, being a partner of the University of Qatar Foundation, and a member of the Qatar Athletics Federation, Mariam hopes to use her platform to support women and young girls to pursue a career in sports, and to advocate for their rights of education and freedom.
BEGINNINGS Born on 1st February 1998 in a family of 5 siblings - three of them have a career in medicine and a brother shares the same bachelor's specialty as Mariam - she joined the national team at 13 years of age, in her youth, she has been a super energetic person, always involved in sports "I had a competitive mentality since I was a child, coming from a sports-loving family, where my father played racket sports and my sister was a marathon runner. Running has always been a part of my life. It’s a sport that many people start at a young age, which they don’t realize.
"For instance, running starts when you’re in kindergarten by playing tag with friends, sometimes, even running away from your mother when she’s trying to feed you something you do not like. Furthermore, running is also incorporated into other kinds of sports such as basketball and football.
"For me, professionally, it has been almost 15 years since I have been doing track and field runs and being part of the national team of Qatar. Running has become a big part of my life ever since I was a child."
YOU CANNOT COMPETE! At the age of 9, Mariam joined a sports club where at the admission assessment, one of the coaches had told her: “You are flat-footed, you’re not going to succeed in competing, you should rather not go in that road, try something else.”
GOING PRO Mariam’s passion for sports led her to try running, volleyball, badminton and others, she started taking part in activities organized by Aspire Academy. One of Qatar's athletics coaches discovered her talent and asked her to undergo an assessment of her athletic abilities; “I was training one day at Aspire Academy, and I asked my dad how to qualify for the Qatari athletics national team, he contacted the person in charge, I did testing for a week then I got in, and within a couple of months, I was at the same level as other females who’s been on the national team for over 10 years”
A year after, Mariam competed in her first international competition with Team Qatar.
AMBASSADORIAL EXPERIENCE Aged 16, Mariam was an ambassador for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, a role which saw her travel to Monaco with representatives from Qatar’s government and other institutions. She was among a group of athletes including the high jump Olympic medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim, both have had ambassadorial roles by representing Qatar in the sporting showpiece. She delivered a heartfelt speech in French language, and Qatar won the hosting bid for 2019 where she participated in 400m hurdles.
“Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the IAAF World Athletics Championships,” she says. “This is an achievement and a source of pride for the Arab world, and it gave the Qatari community an opportunity to see their national team compete on home soil with some of the best athletics teams in the world, nurturing their passion for the sport."
HOW TO MANAGE A BUSY LIFE? Growing up, Mariam never saw her event-packed life being problematic and overwhelming, "I’ve always had time to do everything I want to do, I knew my priorities and I followed them, there was no negotiation with having a university degree, but training was important for me too. To do things you love, you have to do sacrifices. I have set my schedule according to what is more convenient, I balanced between my university, training and my social life when I'm neither studying nor training."
FAMILY SUPPORT Mariam pointed to many factors that contributed to her success today, the most important is growing up in a sports-loving family. From a young age, she was encouraged and supported by her parents, who were always keen to see sports become a big part of their children’s lives, recognizing their role in their physical and mental health.
A VOICE FOR WOMEN Mariam often receives praise from younger Arab female athletes and people around her, being a partner of the University of Qatar Foundation, and a member of the Qatar Athletics Federation, Mariam hopes to use her platform to support women and young girls to pursue a career in sports, and to advocate for their rights of education and freedom.
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