Salwa Eid Naser

thumb|Salwa Eid Naser in 2019 Salwa Eid Naser (née Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu, born 23 May 1998) is a Nigerian-born Bahraini sprinter who specialises in the 400 meter race. She was the 2019 World champion, with the fifth-fastest time in history of 48.14 seconds, becoming the youngest-ever champion in the event and the first woman representing an Asian nation to win it at a World Championships. Quotes I don’t care who is there, I just want to go do my thing. Allyson Felix is someone I watched for many years, She’s my role model. Everyone is nervous, but once you are there in the starting blocks everything is gone. I just had to push through and try, I didn’t see anyone in front of me so I didn’t know what position I was at until the results came through. I feel so happy, It wasn’t about beating Allyson Felix. It was about getting a personal best and a medal. No, I didn’t, But I was training hard and hoping for the best. Coming here I really hoped to do something. Having beaten her heroes, Naser lives her teenage dreams, Augusy 10 2017 As kids, we would run around and play, and they (the other kids) would say I was fast. When I finished, I felt so bad I thought I never want to run another 400m again because it was so stressful, But my teacher insisted that I would make a good 400m runner, so I had no choice but to do it. I am so grateful I listened to my teacher. I won two gold medals, but I realised I have to take my training and everything more seriously, I realised I had supportive parents and a supportive federation and I had to do more. I was so happy and excited after China last year, but I made a vow that this year was going to be better and I started to train differently. He is like a father to me and he would do the same for me what he would for his own daughter, He gives me advice, training and support. He never allows me to get scared, and when he sees a problem he sorts it. I have a special push up stand at home which helps my hands become stronger, the sit ups are good for toning, I think it is great to have a strong tummy. My semi-final was not that good, but I learned something, I didn’t apply my own (race) plan but in the final I knew it would be different. The most important aspect of the 400m is the final 100m. I was happy, of course. It meant a lot to me. We celebrated two holidays that day, one for the religion and the other for the gold medal. Naser takes a tip from George Michael and gets 400m gold in Cali, July 21 2015 I’ve never been a cheat. I will never be, i only missed three drug tests, which is normal. It happens. It can happen to anybody. I don’t want people to get confused in all this because I would never cheat. This year I have not been drug tested, We are still talking about the ones of last season before the world championships. Hopefully, it’ll get resolved because I don’t really like the image, but it has happened, It’s going to be fine. It’s very hard to have this little stain on my name. I would never take performance-enhancing drugs, I believe in talent, and I know I have the talent. Missing three drugs tests in a year ‘is normal’, says Salwa Eid Naser, June 06 2020 Allyson Felix is my role model, I follow her on Instagram. I might try the 200m in future, but it's the 400m for now. I am never under pressure, No matter what it is, I am always calm and I’m always able to pull through. I had bought an ice cream but had forgotten my change and as I ran across the road to retrieve it, that’s when the car hit me. I was given ultrasound and advised not to compete, but this was my first Olympics and I wanted to race. After the race I didn't even know my time, The people in doping control told me. That 49.08 was the coolest thing that happened to me this year. Gen 10: one-lap wonder Salwa Eid Naser, December 17 2018 External links Category:1998 births Category:Track and field athletes Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Nigeria Category:Women from Nigeria Category:Women in sports Category:Women born in the 1990s