Aminata "Amie" Nia-Maria Barrow (born 2 January 2004) is a Gambian competitive swimmer. She qualified to represent The Gambia at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Aminata Nia-Maria Barrow[1] |
| Nationality | Gambian |
| Born | 2 January 2004[1] United Kingdom |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Breaststroke |
| College team | Brown Bears |
Biography
editBarrow was born in the United Kingdom; her father is from The Gambia and her mother is from Finland.[2][3] Her family moved to the United States when she was age eight, settling in Shorewood, Wisconsin.[2][3] She started swimming at age four and later began doing it competitively once she moved to the United States.[2][4] She competed for Shorewood Swim Club under coach Dave Westfahl and later at Shorewood High School.[3] At Shorewood, she was a top student-athlete and competed on the swim team for four years, helping the high school's team be runner-up at the 2020 state championships while Barrow won an individual state high school championship in 2021, in the 100-yard breaststroke.[2][4] In 2022, Barrow competed at the USA Swimming Wisconsin championships and won the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events.[3] Barrow graduated from Shorewood in 2022.[4]
Barrow walked-on for the swim team at Brown University in 2022.[3] She made the team and participated in eight meets during the 2022–23 season; she competed in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and 200 individual medley events.[3][5] She competed at the Ivy League championships and placed 16th in the 100 breaststroke.[3] In her sophomore year, she competed in seven meets and set her personal bests in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.[5] She competed at the Ivy League championships and placed 13th in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 200 breaststroke.[5]
Barrow qualified for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships representing The Gambia, becoming the first female swimmer to compete at the event for the nation.[6] Although in her international debut, she managed to set the national records in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events.[7][6][8] The following year, she was selected to represent The Gambia at the 2024 Summer Olympics through a universality quota, becoming The Gambia's first female Olympic swimmer.[4][9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Aminata Nia-Maria Barrow". World Acquatics. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d "New star eye for Paris 2024 Olympic Games". The Gambia National Olympic Committee. 7 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nickel, Lori (6 July 2023). "This Shorewood swimmer wanted to challenge herself more. That led Amie Barrow to eye the 2024 Olympic Games". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ a b c d Nickel, Lori (3 July 2024). "Shorewood athlete will become first female swimmer representing The Gambia at Olympics". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ a b c "Amie Barrow". Brown Bears.
- ^ a b M.S. Camara, Arfang (25 July 2023). "Gambia: Barrow Becomes 1st Gambian Female Swimmer to Compete in World Aquatic Championship". The Point – via allAfrica.
- ^ "New star eye for Paris 2024 Olympic Games". The Gambia National Olympic Committee. 7 June 2023.
- ^ M.S. Camara, Arfang (31 July 2023). "Gambia: Amie Barrow Finishes 1st in Women's 200M Breaststroke". The Point – via allAfrica.
- ^ Tendeng, Frederic (4 July 2024). "Paris 2024 Olympics – Aminata Barrow Makes History as First Female Gambian Swimmer". The Gambia Journal.