Farah Baig speaks to the young Bahraini swimmer, Noor Taha, who represented the Kingdom of Bahrain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
At first glance, Noor Yousif Taha might seem like your typical teenager. However, at just 15-years-old, this young woman has gone above and beyond having represented the Kingdom of Bahrain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
After years of diligent training, the Bahraini swimmer put on a stellar performance at the Olympics – breaking her personal record in the 50-metre freestyle by finishing in 28:87 seconds to take the fifth place in her heat. Her best time prior to the Olympics was 29:42 seconds.
Noor’s performance at the Olympics was exemplary but few know the story behind the young athlete’s debut into the world of swimming. “I got into the competitive scene of swimming when I was seven years old, but I first tried my hand at it when I was just four. When I first joined, my intention was simply to learn how to swim, but soon after I decided I want this hobby to be a part of my life – doing something I very much enjoy and representing my country in the process,” says Noor.
Following her performance at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Noor was invited by The Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) to participate at the Olympic games for which she was supported by the Bahrain Swimming Association. “Training sessions were put on hold multiple times due to COVID-19 which definitely had a negative impact at the time, but thankfully we were able to get back on track and begin training,” she says.
Prior to the Olympics, the young athlete went through three training sessions spread throughout the day. “I had my swimming training in the morning and at night, and a dry land training session in the afternoon. Captain Alex, Captain Dhaen and Captain Martin were pushing me to be the best version of myself and I can’t thank them enough for that,” she says.
“The training was rough and tiring, but I had a goal in mind, and I knew it’s not meant to be a walk in the park. So, I had to push through it all with complete focus and finesse,” adds Noor.
Speaking of the experience representing the Kingdom at what is considered to be the most prestigious sporting event worldwide, Noor expresses her immense happiness and pride. “Seeing that all my hard work was paying off, I felt an excitement I can’t describe when I found out that I was representing my beloved country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,” she says.
“Five years ago, I would have never seen myself participating in the Olympics, but today, I believe with enough hard work and dedication I can achieve much more. It was also a very insightful journey, I got to see other Olympians’ techniques and how they trained,” she adds.
As a young, accomplished athlete in Bahrain, Noor intends to further pursue a career in sporting and swimming. “Anything is possible when you want it bad enough. I wish to be a successful athlete with record-breaking results – not an easy task in anyway, but I know for a fact that with enough blood, sweat and tears I will one day achieve my ultimate goal,” she says with unwavering determination.
She strongly urges young women, much like herself, to pursue a career in sports should they wish to. “Find your passion and dedicate all your energy and power into understanding and perfecting it. There will be those who doubt you, and people that will laugh at all your ambitions; shut the door on those people and use everything they say to push you forward,” she says.
The next major events for which Noor is training are the Arab Championship Short Course and the World Championship Short Course which will both take place in Abu Dhabi. “My family, friends, coaches and the entire organisation played a huge role in supporting me to get to where I am today. They have been my biggest supporters throughout my journey as an athlete,” she says.
“The next step, of course, is training for the Paris 2024 Olympics,” she concludes tenaciously.
