births
April 15, 1962
Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan athlete and politician
Nawal El Moutawakel
Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan former hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and is the first Moroccan, Arab, African, and Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold. She is currently a vice president of the International Olympic Committee. In August 2024, the International Sports Press Association voted her as the fourth best female athlete of the past 100 years after Serena Williams, Nadia Comăneci and Simone Biles. In 2007, El Moutawakel was named the Minister of Sports in the upcoming cabinet of Morocco.