| Honorific Suffix: | OLY |
| Full Name: | Valerie Rose Tarazi |
| Country: | Palestine |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Auburn University |
| Pb: | 200m medley: 2:20.56 (2024) |
Valerie Rose Tarazi[1] (Arabic: فاليري روز ترزي; born 9 October 1999)[1] [2] is a Palestinian-American swimmer who represents Palestine internationally. She competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Tarazi was born in Illinois, U.S., to an Orthodox Christian family originating from Gaza, where she has relatives. She grew up in her birth state, graduating from Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake and then Auburn University in Alabama. She took up swimming at the age of 3.[3] [4] [5]
She participated in the 2023 Arab Games held in Algeria, and won two gold, three silver, and one bronze medal,[6] making her the highest yielding medalist in the games.She holds the Palestinian record in the 50m and 100m backstroke, 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, and the 50m butterfly. She competed for Palestine at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, in the 200m medley, also serving as national flagbearer at the opening ceremony alongside boxer Wasim Abusal,[7] as well as at the closing ceremony alongside taekwondo practicioner Omar Yaser Ismail.[8]