Emirati sprinter Mariam Kareem, just 18 years old, won gold in the women's 400m hurdles at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, clocking 54.31 seconds to set both an Asian Games record and a new Asian under-20 record in the event. Based and training in Sharjah, Kareem's victory marks one of the UAE's standout athletics performances of the year.
Her progress over the course of the season has been dramatic. In April, competing in Addis Ababa, she ran 57.39 seconds. Just months later she shaved more than three seconds off that time to claim gold in Nagoya. In between, she also finished fourth at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, clocking 56.27 seconds against some of the fastest young hurdlers in the world.
Kareem was first scouted around three years ago while competing at a high school meet in Dubai and training with a local athletics club, before being brought into a more structured development programme. Speaking about her rapid rise, she credited consistency above all else: "From one minute to another, now I'm running 54 — I keep on training, I keep on believing in myself."
Looking ahead, Kareem has her sights set on the Diamond League circuit in 2027, the World Athletics Championships, the Asian Championships and ultimately the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. She has named American hurdling great Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as her idol and inspiration. Her rapid rise from a school athlete to an Asian Games champion and record-holder is being seen as a strong sign for the UAE's efforts to develop homegrown athletic talent capable of competing on the world stage.