At the age of 16, Mariam Mohamed Hadi Al Hilli was also debuting at the Sydney Summer Olympics and this competition was her only appearance at the Olympic Games. She was permitted to run in the women's 100 metres by using a wild card offered to her by the IOC since she did not meet the qualifying standards for the competition and her father was consulted on this. Before the Games, Al Hilli said, "I'm really charged up and I want to do my best for my country. But at the same time, more than the pressure to win, I would say there is this sense of being a part of history in the making. I don't think anyone expects us to win we are going as part of Bahrain's new movement to encourage women's sports." She was drawn in the eighth heat on 22 September, finishing eighth and last of all athletes, with a personal best time of 13.98 seconds, after a false start. Only the top three from each heat, plus the next two fastest between all ten heats could advance, and so Al Hilli was eliminated.