Maryam Yusuf Jamal

Sport: Track and Field

Nation: Bahrain

DOB: September 16, 1984

Career Highlights: Born Zenebech Tola in Ethiopia, Jamal applied for citizenship in several countries after she qualified for the 2004 Olympics but wasn't included on the team. In January 2005, Bahrain offered citizenship on the condition that she would accept an Arabic name. Competing for Bahrain, Jamal took first in the 1,500 at the 2007 world championships with a time of 3:58.75, becoming the first Bahraini woman to win gold at the worlds. She was expected to contend for the gold in the 1,500 at the 2008 Olympics, but tired down the stretch and finished fifth with a time of 4:02.71. She rebounded from her disappointing finish in Beijing by capturing gold in the 1,500 at the 2009 worlds, clocking in at 4:03.74 to beat Great Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey by one-one hundredth of a second.

Olympic History: 2008