Asmahan Farhat (born Mercedes Farhat on May 1, 1990
[Asmahan Farhat](_blank)
at the Beijing Olympics) is an
Libyan-American swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
.
Born in
Strongsville, Ohio, a suburb of
Cleveland, she began training with the
Lake Erie Silver Dolphins before moving down to
Marco Island, Florida
Marco Island is a small sea island, or barrier island, on the Gulf Coast of the United States located 20 miles (32 km) south of Naples in Collier County, Florida. Marco Island is an affluent beach and boating resort island with a small-town ...
at age 11, where she began swimming with her father for the local swim team and with her sister at the
YMCA. She graduated from
Lely High School in 2008, and broke numerous school and conference records while taking home district and regional titles during her time at the high school.
In 2005, Farhat's father, Kamal, convinced her to swim for
Libya. As a result, she changed her name to Asmahan (in honor of her aunt) and applied for dual-citizenship.
Farhat
represented Libya at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing. She was the fourth woman ever to swim for Libya at the
Olympic Games, following
Amira Edrahi
Amira Edrahi ( ar, أميرة ادراحي; born October 15, 1986) is a Libyan swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.
Career
Edrahi qualified for the women's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by receiving a Uni ...
at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
and
Nadia Fezzani
Nadia Fezzani is a Canadian journalist/author who has conducted extensive research about and interviews with many notorious American serial killers. She is known in Europe as having interviewed American serial killer Richard Cottingham for a Frenc ...
and
Soad Fezzani
Soad Fezzani is a Libyan swimmer. She competed in three events at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Libyan female swimmers
Olympic swimmers of Libya
Swimmers at the 1980 Summer O ...
in the
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
in
Moscow.
She won her heat in the
women's 100 metre breaststroke event, with a time of 1:21.68, but finished 47th overall and did not advance.
Her time was a new personal best.
She began studying at the
University of Florida a few days after competing in Beijing, and became a sister of
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
"AOI ...
sorority. She is also a member of the Florida Cicerones.
In Fall of 2012 she began the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She graduated as a
Doctor of Pharmacy
A Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD; New Latin: ''Pharmaciae Doctor'') is a professional doctorate in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a doctoral degree to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist. In many countries the ...
in 2016 and continued her career at
Walgreens.
See also
*
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
*
List of University of Florida Olympians
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farhat, Asmahan
1990 births
Living people
Libyan female swimmers
Olympic swimmers of Libya
Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
People from Strongsville, Ohio
Sportspeople from Cuyahoga County, Ohio