| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (2003-03-24)March 24, 2003 (age 22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of California, Berkeley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Sudan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | California Golden Bears | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ziyad Saleem (born 24 March 2003) is a Sudanese-Americanswimmer. Born in the United States, he competes internationally for Sudan. He competed at the2024 Summer Olympics.
Saleem was born on 24 March 2003 inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, being one of three children.[1] His parents and much of his family comes fromSudan, with most having fled the country due to war.[2] He has dual Sudanese-American citizenship.[3] He beganswimming at a young age, with his parents having enrolled him in a course at age three.[3]
Saleem attendedRufus King International High School in Milwaukee where he competed for the swimming team, being a four-time finalist in the Wisconsin DI state championships.[4] As ajunior, he won the 100m backstroke event at the Wisconsin DI championships with a time of 49.3 seconds.[5] He was aUSA Swimming ScholasticAll-American in 2020.[1] Saleem also competed for the SchroederYMCA swimming team.[4] He was a finalist in the 100m and 200m at the 2019 Minneapolis Sectional tournament, competed at the 2019 Junior Nationals and won the 200m backstroke event at the 2020 Wisconsin 13&O Championships.[4]
Saleem signed to swim in college for theCalifornia Golden Bears.[4]
Saleem competed for California as afreshman in the 2021–22 season, being a member of the California team that won thePac-12 Conference championship and theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championship.[1] In 2022–23, he competed at the Pac-12 Championships and reached the finals of the 100m backstroke event.[1] He helped the Golden Bears win another team NCAA national championship in 2023.[1]
Saleem competes internationally for Sudan.[2] In 2019, he competed at the CANA Junior African Championships inTunisia, winning three silver medals (in the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke) and being the first Sudanese since the country's independence to advance to the finals of an event.[3] In 2021, he won three gold medals at the Arab Swimming Age Group Championships, and he also participated at theFINA World Swimming Championships (25m) that year for Sudan.[6]
Saleem competed at theFINA World Championships in 2022 and won a silver and bronze medal at the2021 Islamic Solidarity Games (held in 2022).[6] He also won a silver and bronze medal at the2022 African Swimming Championships.[6] He placed 24th in the 200m backstroke at the2023 World Aquatics Championships.[6] In 2024, he won a total of three medals – two gold (100m, 200m backstroke) and one silver (50m backstroke) – at theAfrican Swimming Championships.[6] He became Sudan's first-ever gold medalist at the event.[2]
Saleem later received a spot to represent Sudan at the2024 Summer Olympics.[2] Competing in the 200m backstroke, where he placed 9th. ,.[6]
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