Bahraini schoolgirl Alzain Tareq has become the youngest ever swimmer to ever compete at a World Swimming Championships.
Ten-year-old Tareq participated in the women's 50-meter butterfly heat Friday morning at ongoing world championships in the Russian city of Kazan. She finished last in her heat after swimming 41.13 seconds, according to Your Middle East.
"I'm happy, I feel so happy. It was really cool," Tareq said after the heat, Gulf Daily News reported. "It's hard for me to beat the world record now but I can do it when I am older. When I am aged 15 or 16 I can do that I think."
"I want to participate in the Olympics but I don't want to be the last one there," she further said while mentioning her goal of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Alzain Tareq has competed at the World Swimming Championships today She's ten years old Ten. https://t.co/zBdRW04eQx pic.twitter.com/wA01zFzNIr
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 7, 2015
Tareq, who was born in 2005 and started swimming at the age of four, is the fastest swimmer in Team Bahrain. "I'm the fastest swimmer in Team Bahrain. I was fastest among my rivals at the qualifying stage," Tareq said in an interview with Kazan 2015 organisers.
Alzain's father Tareq Salem said his daughter never expected the kind of response and media attention she was getting after becoming one of the championships' youngest participants.
"Alzain is loving the dream she is living right now. It's her first race in front of 4,000 people so she was very nervous and I expected that. It is not easy," he said, according to Gulf Daily News.
10-year-old Alzain Tareq becomes youngest-ever swimmer at world championships https://t.co/PBN54cISFf via @guardian_sport — The Guardian (@guardian) August 7, 2015
Tareq's participation in the championship drew a mixed response while #Alzain started trending on social media.
"I was wondering how they make suits that small," American star Missy Franklin reacted on Alzain's participation, according to the Associated Press.
"I don't know what to make of it. She's tiny, but good on her to have a go. Bless her," British freestyle sprinter Fran Halsall said, Daily Times reported.
