Somalian Olympian drowned on Europe-bound migrant boat

Samia Yusuf Omar finished the 200m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 despite no formal training. Photo / AP.

A Somalian woman who ran an inspired 200 metres at the Beijing Olympics has reportedly drowned on a migrant boat heading to Europe, according to Italian reports.
Samia Yusuf Omar was on a boat which sunk crossing the Meditarrean from Libya to Italy in April, Corriere Della Sera reported.

The fate of Samia, who finished the 200m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 despite no formal training, was revealed in a talk by former Somali Olympic athlete Abdi Bile.
Samia finished last in her heat in Beijing - eight seconds behind her closest rival - however her determined run drew applause and admiration from the crowd.
Abdi described Samia as a "very good athlete - a beautiful girl".

"We are delighted for Mo, he is our pride," Abdi said, referring to the Somali-born runner Mo Farrar, who won gold for Great Britain in London.
"But do not forget Samia."

The head of Somalia's National Olympic Committee confirmed to the BBC that Samia had died, but did not reveal how.
After the games Samia faded from the public view, however she was reportedly hoping to train in Europe with the aim of competing at this year's London Olympics.

According to al Jazeera, Samia trained for the Beijing Games in the "bombed-out shell" of Mogadishu's Coni Stadium, however harassment and threats of violence from militia groups often prevented her from training.

Upon returning to war-torn Somalia, Samia hid the fact she was a runner, following a "life-threatening encounter" with the radical Islamic militant group, Al Shabbab, who banned all Somalis from participating in sports.

In 2009 Samia was living in a camp for displaced civilians, 20km outside the capital Mogadishu, alongside other Somalis who would not have even known she was an Olympian. As her race took place about midnight Somali time, and was not broadcast on local radio or television, no one in the country had seen her compete.

Somalia has been ravished by civil war and has been without an effective central government since military dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
Al Jazeera said Samia relocated to Addis Abada, Ethiopia, late last year to train under safer conditions.

Samia told Al Jazeera she had no intention of returning to Somalia while it remained unstable, but her pride for her country was evident nonetheless.

"It was the happiest moment we ever had because we took our flag," she said after the Beijing Olympics. "We raised our flag. We felt like we were very important people."