[3] Saleem attended Rufus King International High School in Milwaukee where he competed for the swimming team, being a four-time finalist in the Wisconsin DI state championships.

[4] As a junior, he won the 100m backstroke event at the Wisconsin DI championships with a time of 49.3 seconds.

[4] He was a finalist in the 100m and 200m at the 2019 Minneapolis Sectional tournament, competed at the 2019 Junior Nationals and won the 200m backstroke event at the 2020 Wisconsin 13&O Championships.

[2] In 2019, he competed at the CANA Junior African Championships in Tunisia, winning three silver medals (in the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke) and being the first Sudanese since the country's independence to advance to the finals of an event.

[6] 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).