Saudi sprinter Kariman Abuljadayel became the first woman from the kingdom to compete in the Olympics 100m, finishing seventh in a preliminary heat.
The 22-year-old, who stood out from her competitors in a full-body kit and hijab, followed in the footsteps of Sarah Attar, who was the first female track athlete to compete for Saudi Arabia in the Olympics in 2012.
Abuljadayel completed her heat in 14.61 seconds, behind first-placed Charlotte Wingfield from Malta, who ran the 100m in 11.86 seconds. Afghanistan’s Kamia Yousufi also competed in a hijab and full body suit, finishing in last place in her 100m heat.
The Saudi Olympic Committee, which lifted its ban on women competing in the Olympics in 2012, approved four female athletes to compete as part of the kingdom’s team at the Rio Olympics.
Attar will compete in the marathon competition today, while Wujud Fahmi (judo) and fencer Lubna al-Omair also took part in the Games. They are only the second group of women Olympians to represent Saudi Arabia.
Women in Saudi Arabia face significant hurdles to practice sport. They must wear head-to-toe garments in public, observe strict rules on gender segregation and obtain permission from a male guardian to travel, study or marry.
Women’s gyms are not currently eligible for licences, making them scarce in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia’s recently announced package of economic reforms set out the licensing of women’s “sports halls” as a goal to be achieved by 2020.
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