Alumna Makes Olympic History for Qatar, Again
She's the only woman from Qatar to compete in two Olympic games.
Nada Arakji, a 2016 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, has arrived in Rio to swim the 100-meter butterfly.
"I am so excited to be representing my country, Qatar, once again in Rio. This time I feel more experienced, so my goal is to get a personal best time," said Araki, who competed in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 Olympics in London as a first-year student at CMU-Q.
"Being the first Qatari female to represent my country in the [2012] Olympics was really something big for me. I'm just really proud and happy," she said.
"The entire Carnegie Mellon Qatar community will be cheering on Nada," said CMU-Q Dean Ilker Baybars. "At CMU-Q, we are proud to have a group of alumni who are well-rounded, hard-working and determined, and Nada exemplifies these qualities. Best of luck to her and all of Team Qatar in Rio."
Arakji, one of 38 athletes to represent Qatar this year, graduated from CMU-Q's business administration program in May and was the Class of 2016's student speaker.
"Balancing my studies with swimming is hard, I have to admit, but nothing's going to get in your way if you love what you do," she said.
After the Rio Games, she plans to join the Qatar Olympic Committee to continue to promote sports within Qatar.
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