Rubab Raza is an Olympic and national-record-holding swimmer from Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. She became Pakistan's first female Olympic swimmer when she swam at the 2004 Olympics

Pakistan at the 2004 Summer Olympics

-Athletics:Sumaira Zahoor finished last overall in the 1500 metres, more than 30 seconds behind the next-to-last runner in her heat.Men's 400 metres:* Mohammad Sajid** Round 1: 47.45...

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At the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

, she swam the 50m Freestyle, though unable to progress through the first round she undoubtedly opened up the opportunity for future female Pakistani swimmers. She became the second Pakistani female to compete at the Olympics--following Shabana Akhtar

Shabana Akhtar

Shabana Akhtar is an Olympic athlete from Pakistan. She became Pakistan's first female to compete at an Olympics when she took part in the women's long jump at the 1996 Olympics....

 at the 1996 Olympics

Pakistan at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Pakistan competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States.-Athletics:Women's long jump* Shabana Akhtar* Qualifying round Group B; 5.80m...

--shortly before the country's third female competitor, Sumaira Zahoor, who ran the 1500m at the 2004 Games a few days after Raza swam. At the age of 13 at the time of her Olympic race, Raza was the youngest Pakistani female ever to compete at an Olympics.

The Pakistani Swimming Federation funded her with only $30 a month, but she was fortunate to have support from her father who is a retired army

Army

An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...

 major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

 and her mother who is a doctor

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

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She has won a number of national titles, and has seen success at Asian swimming tournaments.

She has also swum for Pakistan at the:

• 2006 South Asian Games
  2006 South Asian Games
  The 2006 South Asian Games were held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from August 18 to August 28, 2006 in the Sugathadasa Stadium with more than 2000 sportspersons competing in the record 20 disciplines of Sports.The 10th edition of SAF Games also marked the debut for Afghanistan...
  
  
• 2006 Commonwealth Games
  Aquatics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
  The Aquatics events at the 2006 Commonwealth Games were held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and were divided into 3 separate disciplines, with medals awarded in 54 events:*Diving *Swimming *Synchronized swimming...