Bahraini athlete Sameera Al Bitar represented Bahrain in swimming at two Olympic games, before switching to triathlon. Sameera faced a number of barriers when she was growing up as a young female swimmer in Bahrain. But as triathlon continues to grow in popularity in the Gulf, Sameera's confident that the hiccups she faced will help future generations.
You'll hear:
10:48 Sameera talks about starting swimming at the age of 6, when she was a child in Jordan and going on to represent Bahrain in swimming at two Olympics and going to the Olympics through the wildcard system
13:38 Some of the struggles that Sameera faced 20 years ago when she faced some criticism for swimming and the swimming attire. "I had a few hiccups along the way, but this has helped the new generation."
23:36 Why Sameera believes triathlon has exploded in popularity in Bahrain
27:00 How she got into triathlon from her swimming background
31:13 What barriers women in Bahrain face if they want to do a triathlon
38:50 Why she thinks Bahrain is an example in the wider region for the growth of triathlon
42:30 The difference between wild card qualification and qualification for the Olympics and if you feel like you have imposter syndrome when you haven't qualified
52:35 what does it mean to be an Arab endurance athlete
Find out more about this week's guests
Sameera Al Bitar https://www.instagram.com/sameeraalbitar/?hl=en (Instagram)
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