Layla Almasri and Noora Kuran: two lives united by athletics and a desire to inspire Middle Eastern youth

Born and raised more than 2700km apart in the United States, Layla Almasri and Noora Kuran are connected through athletics and share a common goal. Beyond their individual ambitions, they want to inspire a younger generation of Middle Eastern youth to never stop dreaming.

They met at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, where 2024 Olympian Almasri represented Palestine and Noora competed for Jordan, their parents’ native land.

“The person I really wanted to meet was Layla,” said Kuran after meeting her in Tallahassee. “My mom told me I’m half Palestinian, half Jordanian. She asked me to look for the Palestinian athletes. I’m so glad we were able to meet on the first day. She’s really a role model that I look up to because she’s done so much for the sport and for the image of the Palestinian people.”

Almasri’s path

Almasri, the middle daughter in her family, got into running through her older sister Amy in Colorado Springs. Her younger sister Nadine ran from the 400m hurdles to the 3000m steeplechase in high school and university.

As her career progressed through her college years, she interacted with many international athletes, which planted the seed of possibly running for Palestine. A Health Care Sciences graduate and holder of a master’s degree in health care from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, she credits her coach Corey Kubatzky, who first contacted the Palestinian Athletics Federation to start the process.

During a visit to Palestine in the summer of 2022, she finished second overall and first woman in a 3km race. Her performance paved the way for her to become eligible to represent the Middle Eastern nation in the spring of 2023.

Success soon followed, with her first international medal – bronze in the 1500m at the Arab Championships in Morocco – followed by two top-eight finishes in the 1500m and 5000m at the Asian Championships a month later in Bangkok.

“It was the second time in my life travelling alone. It was really out of my comfort zone, leaving the collegiate system,” she recalled.

At a global level, she first donned the Palestinian singlet at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade. Her consistency throughout the season led her to the Olympic Games in Paris later that year.

“Paris was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Almasri. "I felt the love in Paris. Many people waved the Palestinian flag as we sailed on the boat during the opening ceremony. There were eight of us in the delegation."

The opportunity to compete twice in a full stadium and feel that energy marked a turning point.

“I loved the sportsmanship from other athletes, and it showed me that you belong here. They respect your hard work. Paris shifted what’s possible for me – what I expect from myself. I saw how elite athletes carry themselves in training and competition, their self-belief.”

Having improved her times in both the 1500m and 5000m, Almasri believes she still has room for growth in the longer event, as she considers herself more of a strength runner. She juggles three roles: assistant coach at her alma mater, work at a radiology clinic and being a competitive athlete.

“I want to qualify in my own events for Los Angeles 2028.”

For 2026, Almasri is looking forward to the Asian Games in Japan in the autumn. She may also try the 10,000m on the track.

Kuran’s path

More than 1700 miles to the east, Kuran was born as the middle child and the only girl in a three-child family. She tried many sports, from lacrosse to horseback riding, before taking up athletics around the age of 12 in her native New Jersey. She was primarily inspired by her maternal grandfather Musa Qutub, an accomplished distance runner for Jordan in the 1950s.

“He taught me that running is a metaphor for life,” she said.

She followed in the footsteps of her older brother Danny, who also competed in track for a short period.

“I wanted to pick a sport where I would have the least number of injuries, so track certainly wouldn’t be the best choice for that,” she laughed.

During one of her summer trips to Jordan, her mother encouraged her to explore competing for the Arab nation. In the summer of 2024, she received a call to compete in the 3000m at the Arab U18 Championships in Saudi Arabia.

A year and a half later, she was selected to compete at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, an honour she shared with her younger brother Ryan. After racing longer distances in her first two international outings, she is now targeting her speciality events – the 800m and 1500m – at the Asian U20 Championships in Hong Kong in May.

“Athletics has given me so much," she said. "Even though it is an individual sport, I love the running community. I met my best friends through the sport and it brought me closer to my younger brother.”

She also instilled that love in Danny and acted as his first coach, following advice from the book Daniel's Running Formula.

The 18-year-old also credits her high school coach Germain Shepherd, who “treated us like his own children”, and the community at Garden State Track Club, where she trains.

Kuran, a first-year student of engineering systems at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was inspired by meeting Almasri in Tallahassee.

“Having more experience at major championships, she reassured me about how to control my nerves. She is like a big sister to me. I always wanted to have an older sister. She is an ambassador for Palestine, and I would like to be the same for Jordan.”

Off the track, Almasri and Kuran have bigger goals that connect them to their respective nations.

“Coach Duha (Idrees) told me young athletes returned to practice after they saw me compete at the Olympic Games,” said 26-year-old Almasri. "They watch my races. Racing has become more fun, and I want to inspire the next generation of Palestinian athletes."

For Kuran, “running goes beyond medals and fast times. I would love to inspire Muslim and Arab women and shed a positive light on Jordan and the Middle East in general. If 10 more people talk positively about us after we meet, that would be a success. On my next trip to Jordan, I hope to host a running club for girls in Amman and encourage more girls to take up running.”

Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics