Ghada Shouaa
Encyclopedia
Ghada Shouaa is a Syrian former heptathlete
. At the 1996 Summer Olympics
, she won her country's first and only Olympic
gold medal.
Born in the small Syrian city of Mhardeh in the Hama Governorate
, Shouaa's first sport was basketball
. She played on the Syrian national team for a few years, but then decided to compete in athletics. She did her first heptathlon in 1991, and was immediately sent to the 1991 World Championships
in Tokyo, where she placed last. She concluded her first athletics season with a silver medal in the Asia
n championships.
Shouaa debuted at the Olympics in the 1992 Barcelona Games
, placing 18th in spite of an injury. Her breakthrough did not come until 1995, when she won the important heptathlon meet in Götzis
, scoring 6715 points. This boosted her to one of the favourites for the title at the 1995 World Championships, held in Gothenburg
. After co-favorite Sabine Braun
dropped out with an injury, Shouaa won the title with a comfortable margin.
The following season, Shouaa again won the Götzis meet, bringing the still-standing Asian record to 6942 points. In Atlanta, three months later, she confirmed her status as the best heptathlete at the time, winning Syria's first Olympic gold medal.
A serious injury ruined the following season, and she was unable to make a serious comeback until 1999, when she placed third at the World Championships behind Eunice Barber
. Shouaa attempted to defend her Olympic title in Sydney
, but she again became injured and did not even finish the first event. After this disappointment, she decided to retire from athletics.
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
. At the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, she won her country's first and only Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal.
Born in the small Syrian city of Mhardeh in the Hama Governorate
Hama Governorate
Hama is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria. Its area depends of sources. It varies from 8,844 km² to 8,883 km². Governorate has a population of 1,593,000...
, Shouaa's first sport was basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. She played on the Syrian national team for a few years, but then decided to compete in athletics. She did her first heptathlon in 1991, and was immediately sent to the 1991 World Championships
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
in Tokyo, where she placed last. She concluded her first athletics season with a silver medal in the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n championships.
Shouaa debuted at the Olympics in the 1992 Barcelona Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, placing 18th in spite of an injury. Her breakthrough did not come until 1995, when she won the important heptathlon meet in Götzis
Götzis
Götzis is a town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, district Feldkirch.The town is well-known for its annual hypo-combined events meeting, the so called Hypo-Meeting, where some of the world's leading decathletes and heptathletes gather in the Mösle stadium...
, scoring 6715 points. This boosted her to one of the favourites for the title at the 1995 World Championships, held in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. After co-favorite Sabine Braun
Sabine Braun
Sabine Braun is a German former athlete in track and field. Because she had talents in several disciplines, Sabine Braun competed in the heptathlon and had a number of successes...
dropped out with an injury, Shouaa won the title with a comfortable margin.
The following season, Shouaa again won the Götzis meet, bringing the still-standing Asian record to 6942 points. In Atlanta, three months later, she confirmed her status as the best heptathlete at the time, winning Syria's first Olympic gold medal.
A serious injury ruined the following season, and she was unable to make a serious comeback until 1999, when she placed third at the World Championships behind Eunice Barber
Eunice Barber
Eunice Barber is a Sierra Leonean athlete competing in heptathlon and long jump. Barber initially competed for Sierra Leone and then for France from 1999 onwards...
. Shouaa attempted to defend her Olympic title in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, but she again became injured and did not even finish the first event. After this disappointment, she decided to retire from athletics.