Naseem Hameed: The Fastest Woman in South Asia

Naseem Hameed, age 22, is a Pakistani track athlete who became the fastest woman in South Asia when she won a gold medal in the 100-meter event of the 11th South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 09, 2010.

Hameed was born in Karachi, Pakistan. She began her athletic career in school, participating in various sports at the high school and college levels. While a college athlete she was noticed by Army coaches and was subsequently allowed to practice on the Army grounds in Pakistan. She won numerous local track-and-field events, and eventually was selected to represent Pakistan in the 2010 South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka where she won the 100 meter Gold Medal, clocked at 11.81 seconds, thus earning her the title of Fastest Woman in South Asia. She also became the first Pakistani female athlete to win the short sprint gold in the 26-year history of the games, or at any international level. This success also brought her an appointment as Ambassador of Sports by Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari. Now with the next Summer Olympics only two years away, the hope is that she can achieve further success on the world stage in London.

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