Ziyad Saleem

Ziyad Saleem (born 24 March 2003) is a Sudanese-American swimmer. Born in the United States, he competes internationally for Sudan. He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Early life Saleem was born on 24 March 2003 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, being one of three children. His parents and much of his family comes from Sudan, with most having fled the country due to war. He has dual Sudanese-American citizenship. He began swimming at a young age, with his parents having enrolled him in a course at age three. As a junior, he won the 100m backstroke event at the Wisconsin DI championships with a time of 49.3 seconds. He was a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American in 2020.

Saleem competed at the FINA World Championships in 2022 and won a silver and bronze medal at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games (held in 2022). He also won a silver and bronze medal at the 2022 African Swimming Championships. He placed 24th in the 200m backstroke at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. In 2024, he won a total of three medals – two gold (100m, 200m backstroke) and one silver (50m backstroke) – at the African Swimming Championships. He became Sudan's first-ever gold medalist at the event.

Saleem later received a spot to represent Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Competing in the 200m backstroke, where he placed 9th..