The Story of Determined Olympian Who Drowned Trying To Cross The Mediterranean Sea

A Dream cut short
For Somalian sprinter Samia Omar, who participated in the Olympics in 2008, had a dream of participating in the event again. She got drowned in the cold waters of Mediterranean in 2012, when she was just 21. Her dream, her aspiration was failed by humanity. In 2008, Omar ran the 200-meter race in Beijing Olympics. She was one of the two athletes chosen to represent her country that was ravaged by war. Running in a white t-shirt and shoes donated by Sudan’s women’s team, Omar beat her personal record but came last in the race.

Terrorism crushed her hopes
Due to lack of funding, she had to abandon her training and her performance got a major setback. The al-Shabaab terrorist outfit had also banned all sorts of sports activities in her country. She was living in a camp for displaced people outside the capital and she did not have any hope of her training.

Humanity lost a wonderful soul
But she was determined to get another chance to compete in the Olympics. She began her journey to Europe. She had reached Libya after crossing Ethiopia and Sudan. She was set for Italy in 2012 in an overcrowded boat with 70 people across the Mediterranean Sea. During the journey, the boat ran out of petrol. She was one of the passengers who had drowned. Samia went on to became a symbol of resilience and determination.