Fartun Abukar Omar

Biography

She represented Somalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, despite her country having been without a government for thirteen years at that time. She took part in the women's 100 metres race, and finished last in her heat, nonetheless achieving a personal best of 14.29 seconds. She was 18 at the time of the event. She had never before run a competition on a track, and drifted into the wrong lane for part of the race. ESPN noted that she was the first Muslim woman ever to represent Somalia at any Olympic Games.