The heptathlete who brought Syria its first gold medal in its history: Who is Ghada Shouaa?

“Syrian heptathlete wins gold medal.”

This is how the Chicago Tribune newspaper told its readers in its issue dated August 11, 1995, that an unknown young girl won the World Championship in Gothenburg.

Previously in athletics; No Middle Eastern athlete, let alone a Syrian, had achieved similar success. But there was something about this girl. At the age of 21, reaching a rank that was not accustomed to the land in which she grew up deserved praise and attracted attention.

Those who heard her name for the first time were sometimes hesitant about how to pronounce it. However, the young girl would make this situation easier for everyone. And by making her name mentioned frequently...

Ghada Shouaa (born September 10, 1972) is a retired Syrian heptathlete. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won her country's first and only Olympic gold medal. She was also a World and Asian heptathlon champion. She is considered one of the best Asian and Arab female athletes of all time. She was a Syrian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Ghada was born in Mahardah, Syria, as the daughter of a petroleum engineer father. In fact, the family was well off. They had no financial difficulties. There were also social opportunities for children where they lived. With her height reaching 1.90 cm by the age of 15, it was more or less predictable which social activity Ghada would tend towards.

Ghada, who entered the basketball court without wasting much time, would quickly become successful due to her natural aptitude for sports. She had such a talent. She was adapting instantly, learning quickly and constantly working for more. In this case, she did not have to wait long to wear the national team jersey. She was now a national basketball player. However, her dreams were based on a much wider area. She wanted to be a world-famous athlete, and this was not a goal she could achieve by playing for the Syrian National Team. She also decided to make a "small" change in her career.

“I had no chance of being successful in basketball, let alone in the world, even in Asia. But I knew this: If I worked hard, I could become an international athlete in track and field. “I am glad that I could realize this dream.”

Apparently, team sports were not for her and she wanted to have the reins in her own hands. When she got into the heptathlon branch through a horizontal transfer at the age of 16, she had a long period of time ahead of her that required dedicated work. Ghada had no intention of slacking off either. She witnessed her first serious competition at the World Championships in 1991. “Witnessed” because the outcome was not so bright. For him, the championship was like an activity where she could watch other athletes from a close distance. What she got away with in the competition, where she finished in 24th place, was experience.

Ghada, who immediately used this experience without waiting too long, would come second in the Asian Championship, where she appeared after the World Championship. Now it was time for the main stage. Going to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, she felt ready for a good result this time. But this time, she would be tripped up by fate itself, and as a result of this trip, she would be injured. She was returning from a big tournament with a bad result, but as she had become a habit, she added the experience here to her baggage and even made it an idol. Ghada could not hide her admiration when she saw American heptathlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee competing. From now on, she would try to follow in her footsteps.

By 1995, Ghada had begun to make a name for herself more frequently. Of course, winning gold at the World Championship in Gothenburg played a big part in this. All the competitions were dismissed and it was back to the beginning again. The next competition was the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Ghada could now face her idol and fight to defeat him.

Unfortunately, Ghada would not be able to fully engage Joyner-Kersee. Because Joyner-Kersee would get injured and withdraw from the heptathlon competitions. Therefore, Ghada would have to defeat others to become the champion. But this did not seem so easy. Because Ghada was ranked 17th in the first competition, the 100-meter hurdles race.

“I had no problems or fears about being in 17th place. The branch I was best at was still ahead of me. A year ago, when I won the World Championship, I didn't finish first in any event, but the total points took me to the championship. In fact, when the 100-meter hurdles ended in that championship, I was in 24th place.”

As Ghada intervened and conveyed, there was nothing to fear yet. The name of this sport was heptathlon and the only thing that mattered was to be at the top of the points rankings when the competitions ended. The high jump competition would come to Ghada's rescue immediately. Ghada would find herself in second place as a result of her performance in this competition. The most frightening competition for the athlete, who also achieved a certain standard in other branches, was the long jump. Ultimately, her poor performance there would send her further down the rankings than she had anticipated.

“I don't know what happened to me in the long jump. Every athlete is prepared for failure. But I can say that with my faith and God's help, I was able to make up for my own mistakes.”

Ghada, who was very good at throwing, was also putting on a show and taking the lead in shot put and javelin. The buck's tail would come loose in the last competition: the 800-meter race... Ghada had to maintain her leadership. For this, it would have been enough for her not to have a 14-second difference from Belarusian Sazanovic, who was right behind her in the rankings, in the last match. The success she dreamed of was now close to her. There was no room for error. Anyway, she didn't give it a chance. When she completed the 800-meter race right after Sazanovic, she raised her arms in the air and began to feel the shouts of joy rising from her country in her heart. With this victory, Syria won the gold medal at the Olympics for the first time in its history.

Ghada, who suffered a serious back injury after the Olympics and had a traffic accident during the recovery period, would make a great comeback and place third at the World Championships in 1999. Giving up might not have been in her vocabulary, but sometimes obligation tied your hands. Ghada would say goodbye to the tracks at a relatively early age due to recurring injuries. However, the happiness she brought to her country will remain in her memories.

She is a shining pearl in the sports history of a country torn apart by wars; A pioneer who pursues a dream and sails to new horizons...