During the 200-meter race at the 2023 Arab Athletics Championships in Marrakech, Lebanese sprinter Aziza Sbaity triumphed against Moroccan Sara El Hachimi and Kuwaiti Mudahawi. She won the sole gold medal awarded to a Lebanese athlete at the games, in addition to taking home the silver for the 100-meter race. Additionally, throughout the Championship, she managed to smash two national records.
The track and field athlete, who is known as the fastest woman in Lebanese history, keeps setting new benchmarks.
Sbaity is methodical in her approach to sprinting, manually installing her starting blocks. She recognizes the importance of a powerful start for quick acceleration. Demonstrating her talent, she won the 100 meters and 200 meters at the Lebanese National Championships in her debut year of 2009, securing her spot in the Lebanese team for the Jeux de la Francophonie games in Beirut.
Driven by that memorable experience, Sbaity nurtured her ambition to represent Lebanon. Despite setbacks from hamstring syndrome between 2010 and 2014, she remained determined in pursuing international competitions. Sbaity proudly represented her country at the World Championships in Beijing (2015) and the World Indoor Championships in 2014 and 2016.
In 2018, Sbaity decided to elevate her training efforts. After completing her university studies and ending a long-term relationship, she dedicated herself fully to running, with her sights set on Tokyo 2020. Supported by her family, she left her career behind and pursued running on a full-time basis.
In 2019, at the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, she set a new national record in the 100-meter event.
Sbaity is currently training for the Olympics, as she pursues further success and continues to enhance her accolades. Having emerged victorious at the 2023 Arab Athletics Championships, she is now well-positioned to maintain her remarkable streak in the realm of Athletics.
As a black Lebanese woman, she has faced racism and uses her platform to speak out against injustice. Sbaity aims to inspire and represent Lebanon at the Olympics, becoming the first black Lebanese athlete to compete for her country.
