Farid Simaika

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Farid Simaika ( Arabic فريد سميكة, DMG Farīd Simaika ; * June 12, 1907 in Alexandria ; † September 11, 1943 near Makassar on Sulawesi ) was an Egyptian water diver who won two Olympic medals in 1928.

Simaika studied and trained in the United States. At the Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 1928 , he took third place in jumping behind the two Americans Pete Desjardins and Michael Galitzen . Three days later, on August 11th, the final in high diving took place. Here Simaika received the highest number of points with 99.58 points, followed by Desjardins with 98.74 points and Galitzen with 92.34 points. At the award ceremony, Simaika was at the top of the podium, the Egyptian flag was hoisted for him and the anthem was played. Only then did the officials notice that, according to the regulations, the ranking should not be based on the number of points but on the number of places. The award ceremony was canceled and started again, now Desjardins received gold, which had been placed by four judges in front of Simaika. Simaika received silver from Galitzes.

In the United States, Simaika won three AAU championship titles from the tower and one from the one-meter board. After the Olympic Games in 1928, Simaika appeared in show events with Johnny Weissmüller and was therefore considered a professional. He later joined the Billy Rose Aquacades , a professional event at which, in addition to Weissmüller, stars such as Esther Williams and Eleanor Holm also appeared. In 1931 Simaika was seen as a stuntman in the Hollywood film Seas Beneath .

In 1942, Simaika became a US citizen and joined the United States Air Force . In 1943 he was shot down with his plane over Sulawesi. According to some sources, he was captured and beheaded by headhunters. Simaika was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross .

In 1982 Simaika was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale.

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personal data
SURNAME Simaika, Farid
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Egyptian diver
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Alexandria
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1943
Place of death Macassar