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Abbas Karimi

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Abbas Karimi
Personal information
Full nameMohammad Abbas Karimi
Born1997 (age 26–27)
Kabul, Afghanistan
Sport
SportSwimming
Strokes
ClassificationsS5
Medal record
Representing Refugee Team
World Para Swimming Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Mexico City 50m butterfly S5
Representing the  United States
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris mixed 4×50 m freestyle relay 20 pts
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris mixed 4×50 m medley relay 20pts
World Para Swimming Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Madeira Medley relay
Parapan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Santiago 50m freestyle S5

Mohammad Abbas Karimi (Dari: محمد عباس کریمی; born 1997)[1] is a swimmer, who came second in the S5 50 meter butterfly event at the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships, making him the first refugee athlete to win a medal at that competition. He came eighth in the 50 meter butterfly S5 event for the Refugee Paralympic Team at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

In 2021, Karimi obtained US citzenship and started to compete for the USA team. He was part of the US team that won the medley relay event at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. He has won national championship events in Afghanistan, Turkey and the US. Karimi competed for the US team at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, and was part of the US team that came second in the Mixed 4×50 m freestyle relay 20 pts event.

Personal life

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Karimi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and had no arms from birth.[2][3] His family is of Hazara descent, and his father died in 2019.[3] One of his brothers lives in Australia, and Karimi did not see him from 2013 until 2021.[4] After the 2021 Taliban offensive, Karimi's family relocated from Afghanistan to Pakistan.[4]

At the age of 16, Karimi fled Afghanistan, to escape the Taliban.[2] In 2013, he arrived at a refugee camp in Turkey, having traveled through Iran and the Zagros Mountains.[2] He lived in four different refugee camps in Turkey.[2] In 2016, Karimi moved to Portland, Oregon, US, after being assisted by an American teacher and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with his documentation for resettlement in the US.[2] In 2019, he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[3] In 2022, Karimi became a naturalized American citizen.[5]

Career

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At the age of 12, Karimi took up kickboxing.[3] Aged 13, he took up swimming.[3] His first competitive competition was an Afghan national championships, which he won.[3] Whilst in Turkey, he won two national championships,[2] and a total of 15 medals.[3] He was unable to participate in international tournaments whilst in Turkish refugee camps, as he didn't have the correct documentation to travel.[2]

At the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships, Karimi won a silver medal in the S5 50 meter butterfly event.[3][6] He was the first refugee athlete to win a medal at a World Para Swimming Championships.[1][6] At the Championships, he also finished sixth in the S5 backstroke event.[7] In 2018, he won the 50 meter freestyle event at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming Para National Championships.[8] At the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, he came sixth in the 50 meter butterfly event.[3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to swim for several months, as all swimming pools were closed.[6]

In 2021, Karimi competed in the US Paralympic Trials in the 50 meter butterfly, backstroke and freestyle events.[9] In April 2021, he won a World Para Swimming Series S5 50 meter butterfly event in Texas, US.[10] In June, he was included in the Refugee Paralympic Team for the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics.[2][9] Karimi and Alia Issa were the Refugee Paralympic Team's flag bearers at the Games' opening ceremony.[11] He competed in the 50 meter butterfly S5 event,[12][11] where he qualified for the final,[13] and finished eighth overall.[14] He also competed in the 50 meter backstroke S5 event, where he finished last in his heat.[15] Karimi won the 2021 USMS Long Course National Championship 200 meter backstroke and 200 meter butterfly events.[4] In 2022, he won the 50 meters butterfly event at the Indianapolis World Series.[5]

At the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships, Karimi competed for the US team. He finished ninth in the heats of the 50 meter freestyle event.[16] He also finished fourth overall in the 50 meter backstroke[17] and 50 meter butterfly events.[18] He was part of the US team that won the medley relay in a world record time, alongside Elizabeth Marks, Rudy Garcia-Tolson and Leanne Smith.[19] He finished third in the 50 metre freestyle S5 event at the 2023 Parapan American Games.[20]

Karimi was selected for the US team for the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[21] He was part of the American team who finished second in the mixed 4×50 m freestyle relay 20 pts.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Paralympic Refugee Team, led by world medalist Karimi, aims to spread 'message of hope' in Tokyo". NBC. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Afghanistan's Killing Fields And Story Of Three Bravehearts Who Escaped The Dreaded Taliban". Outlook. August 16, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Refugee Para swimmer Abbas Karimi driven to prove a lesson at Tokyo 2020". International Paralympic Committee. May 12, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "USMS Member Abbas Karimi Goes From Refugee Camps to Paralympics". U.S. Masters Swimming. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Madeira 2022 marks World Championships debut of Tokyo 2020 champions". International Paralympic Committee. June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Swimmer Abbas Karimi Reflects On Representing Refugees At The Paralympics In Tokyo". WBUR-FM. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Tokyo Paralympics preview: Para swimming day 6". International Paralympic Committee. August 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Afghanistan's Abbas Karimi wins gold medal in Para Swimming Nationals". Khaama Press. December 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "IPC ANNOUNCES REFUGEE PARALYMPIC TEAM FOR TOKYO 2020". SwimSwam. July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "Afghan-born swimmer wins silver at World Para Swimming Series". Khaama Press. April 18, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Issa and Karimi named Tokyo 2020 flagbearers for Refugee Paralympic Team". Inside the Games. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "Your guide to all the best action at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". The Guardian. August 22, 2021. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "Refugee swimmer Abbas Karimi aims for historic Paralympic medal". Mathrubhumi. August 27, 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "Swimming - Final Results". Olympics.com. August 27, 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Swimming - Heat 1 Results". Olympics.com. August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Men's 50m Freestyle S5 Heats Summary" (PDF). paralympic.org. June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "Men's 50m backstroke S6 Finals" (PDF). paralympic.org. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  18. ^ "Men's 50m Butterfly S5 Finals" (PDF). paralympic.org. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  19. ^ "US BREAKS 4×50 MIXED MEDLEY RELAY WORLD RECORD ON DAY THREE OF PARA WORLDS". SwimSwam. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "Swimming - Men's 50 metre freestyle S5 - final results" (PDF). Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "U.S. Paralympics Swimming Roster Announced for 2024 Paralympic Games". US Paralympics Swimming. June 30, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  22. ^ "Paris Paralympics Aug. 30 recap, highlights: World records fall, U.S. claims first gold medal". NBC. August 30, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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