Meet Alzain Tareq, the 10-year-old Bahraini swimmer who became the youngest competitor ever to race at the World Aquatics Championships

Alzain Tareq's age was just 10 years at the time when she participated in the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia, and she was one of the youngest competitors that one would notice at the championships. While Guinness World Records states that Alzain Tareq is the youngest female competitor in the history of the championships.

Tareq competed in the women’s 50m butterfly on August 7, 2015 and even though she was only 10, she was sharing the stage with swimmers from around the world.

Tareq's first race in Kazan

She was drawn into the first heat of the 50m butterfly. Tareq finished in 41.13 seconds, coming last in the heat and she was also 64th out of 64 swimmers in the event, as per The Guardian report. Tareq said, “I feel so happy,” adding, “I was a bit nervous walking out there, I have never swum in front of so many. It was cool today and I am looking forward to swimming again tomorrow (in the 50m freestyle),” as quoted by The Guardian.

She had already been swimming for years

Tareq may have been just 10, but she was not new to the pool. She started swimming when she was four, as per an ESPN report. Her father, Tareq Salem, who was a former swimmer and was with her in Kazan.

Before the World Championships, Tareq had competed at meets in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, as per the report.

Meeting Sarah Sjöström

The trip also gave Tareq the chance to meet one of the swimmers she admired. Sarah Sjöström was among her idols. Tareq met the Swedish swimmer in Kazan and got a photograph with her. She also admired Australian swimmers Cate Campbell and Bronte Campbell.

She raced in the 50m freestyle too

Tareq's World Championships experience did not end with the butterfly.

She also entered the women’s 50m freestyle. She finished in 35.78 seconds and was 105th out of 113 swimmers, according to Swimming World report.

What happened after the 2015 championships

Tareq continued racing after Kazan.

Her official World Aquatics profile records performances from 2015 and 2016. At 10, she posted a 34.96-second 50m freestyle and a 38.35-second 50m butterfly in 50m-pool events.

At 11 years, she recorded 34.36 seconds in the 50m freestyle and 36.09 seconds in the 50m butterfly in 25m-pool events. Her profile also lists a 2:54.62 performance in the 200m individual medley as a national record.

Why her Kazan appearance was unusual

At an age when many children are still developing their swimming skills, she was already competing at the FINA World Swimming Championships. She did not finish near the top of her events, but she got to race internationally, watch some of the sport's leading swimmers and learn from the experience.

Guinness World Records recognizes that appearance with a specific distinction, that Alzain Tareq is the youngest female participant in the FINA World Swimming Championships.