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Azad Al-Barazi

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Azad Al-Barazi
Personal information
Full nameAzad Al-Barazi
Nationality Syria  United States
Born (1988-01-04) 4 January 1988 (age 36)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[1]
Height2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Weight110 kg (243 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubTrojan Swim Club (USA)[1]
College teamUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
(USA)[1]
CoachDave Salo (USA)[1]
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  Syria
Islamic Solidarity Games
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Baku 50 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Baku 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Baku 200 m breaststroke

Azad Al-Barazi (Arabic: آزاد البرازي; born January 4, 1988) is an American-Syrian swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.[1][2] The grandson of Kurdish Syrian Prime Minister Muhsin al-Barazi’s cousin, Al-Barazi holds a dual citizenship between his parents' nation Syria and the United States, where he resides.[3][4][5]

Biography

He was invited to apply for the Syrian citizenship, after he was seen swimming laps in a public pool in 2010. Following he represented Syria in several swimming events such as two Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016. His main goal is to give hope for the people in Syria who are having a difficult time during the Syrian Civil War.[6] In the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Al-Barazi qualified for the men's 100 m breaststroke, as a member of the Syrian team. He received a universality place by posting a personal best of 1:00.35 from the AT&T Winter National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.[7][8] He challenged seven other swimmers on the second heat, including four-time Olympians Malick Fall of Senegal and Jakob Jóhann Sveinsson of Iceland. He touched out European junior champion Dănilă Artiomov of Moldova to take a seventh spot by 0.09 of a second in 1:00.48. Al-Barazi failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed twenty-first overall on the first day of preliminaries.[9][10] He competed at several other swimming competitions like the 2014 Short Track World Championships in Doha, Qatar, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia and the Arab Games in Dubai, UAE in April 2016.[6] His attendance at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, shortly caused some concern as the Brazilian authorities didn't believe he was professional swimmer.[11]

Al-Barazi has also been a Los Angeles County Lifeguard since 2007 and has competed in several international lifeguard competitions for the United States.[12] He attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a minor in sports nutrition. Al-Barazi later became a varsity swimmer for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, before he graduated with honors in 2010.[5]

Al-Barazi is a full-time member of the Trojans Swim Club at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, under his personal coach Dave Salo.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Azad Al-Barazi". London 2012. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Azad Al-Barazi". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  3. ^ Ross Kenneth Urken (2016-03-13). "California lifeguard wants to be an Olympic beacon of hope for fellow Syrians". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  4. ^ Dugan, Emily (25 July 2012). "Azad Al-Barazi: Swimming for Syria". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Eye On Olympics: Trio of UH Swimmers Headed To London". University of Hawaii Athletics. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Azad Al-Barazi: Swimming for Syria One Last Time". SwimSwam. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  7. ^ "Qualifying Athletes – Men's 100 m breaststroke" (PDF). FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  8. ^ Braden, Keith (25 July 2012). "Olympic Invites Extended for "B" Times". SwimSwam. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Men's 100m Breaststroke Heat 2". London 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Azad Al-Barazi's Olympic Run Comes To A Close". University of Hawaii Athletics. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  11. ^ Rogers, Martin. "'Baywatch' lifeguard Azad Al-Barazi detained at Rio airport". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  12. ^ Price, S.L. (25 July 2012). "With Syria fighting for its future, athletes continue to carry the flag". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
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