PARIS: Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning sports scene received a boost after 16-year-old swimmer Zaid Al-Saraaj came first in his men’s 100m freestyle heat at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While the teenager, the youngest member of the Kingdom’s delegation, did not progress to the next stage of the competition, he set a new personal best with a time of 51.21 seconds. Al-Saraaj earned his place at the Games through a universality spot — a place offered to under-represented National Olympic Committees to increase the diversity of participating nations.