Mashael Alayed looks surprised and happy when SVT Sport asks for an interview after his Olympic debut, which ended with a sixth place (and a new personal best) in the first trial heat of the 200m freestyle.
She is 17 years old and has been swimming since she was six, she says.
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– What I like most about swimming is the social part. I love working out with my friends and hanging out between workouts. But also to push my body as hard as I can in competition.
Saudi Arabia has become a sporting power
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has historically been a closed country. But in recent years, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, it has opened up more and put enormous sums of money into, among other things, tourism, sports and major sporting events.
The development has been criticized as sportswashing: that Saudi Arabia is deliberately using sports to wash its reputation, while the country still violates basic human rights.
“I don’t know that concept”
Mashael Alayed looks questioning when sportswashing comes up and says that it is not something she has heard of, when she explains to herself what it means.
– What did you say it was called? I am not familiar with that term.
As she sees it, a lot has changed for the better in recent years.
Hear more from Mashael Alayed in the player above.