Soldiers patrol on a street in front of the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Olympics on July 21, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Stefan Wermuth

Saudi dignitaries on Sunday hailed the performance of Mashael Alayed, the first female swimmer from the kingdom to compete in an Olympics.

The 17-year-old is the only female swimmer in the delegation and smashed her personal best to come sixth of seven in her 200 meters freestyle heat.

Female athletes were for many years an untapped reservoir of talent in the conservative Islamic state, with girls banned from participating in sport at public schools until 2017 and women not allowed into sports stadiums until the following year.

Princess Reema bint Bandar bint Sultan, an influential member of the Saudi Olympic committee and the kingdom’s ambassador to Washington, who has led efforts to integrate Saudi women into sport, wrote on X “Proud to cheer on this young woman! Breaking boundaries! Mashael Alayed.”

While she did not make the semi-finals with her swim, she clocked two minutes 19.61 seconds at the Aquatic Complex in Paris’ La Défense Arena to beat her previous best of 2:21.04 seconds.

Her time, in her fourth major championship since entering the elite development program in the kingdom, was 23.82 seconds behind the fastest qualifier, Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan.

Saudi swimming federation president Ahmed Alqadamani told Reuters that Alayed’s participation was “an indication of the potential and ambitions of Saudi sports thanks to the great support of young athletes to represent their country in the best way.”

“I see that Mashael today is different from Mashael yesterday, where participation in the Olympics, contact with the best swimmers from different countries of the world, contributes to the refinement and development of her talent very much,” he said.

“Perhaps most importantly, her participation will inspire a future generation of female players in the future.”

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, sports minister, chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee and head of the kingdom’s delegation in Paris said on X: “Mashael Alayed has a great future ahead, all the best.”

Alayed, who represents Ettifaq club, won a gold medal and two silvers in the first Gulf games in the UAE in April 2024. She also won three bronzes and a silver medal at the Saudi Arabian Games.