Ibrahim Al Hussein

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Ibrahim Al Hussein swim
Ibrahim Al Hussein Rio2016.jpg

Ibrahim Al Hussein (2016)

Personal information
Surname: Ibrahim Al Hussein
Nation: SyriaSyria Syria
Swimming style (s) : Freestyle
Birthday: September 23, 1988

Ibrahim Al Hussein (* 23. September 1988 ) is a living in Greece Syrian swimmers in disabled sports , which in 2016 as an independent participant in the Paralympics took in Rio de Janeiro.

Al Hussein started swimming at the age of five and achieved national success as a youth in Syria. During the Syrian civil war , he was the victim of a rocket attack in 2013 and had to be amputated on his right leg . He then fled to Greece via Turkey, where he resumed swimming. In addition to his participation in the Paralympics, he also took part in the 2016 Olympic torch relay in Greece.

Life and flight

Ibrahim Al Hussein grew up as one of 14 children in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor , his father was a swimming instructor. In addition to swimming, Al Hussein was also active in judo and basketball as a child . He worked as an electrician until the beginning of the Syrian civil war .

During the war, Al Hussein was seriously injured in 2013, according to other sources as early as 2012. After one of his friends was injured in a rocket attack on the street, Al Hussein and three other friends came to his aid. The group fell victim to another attack in which Al Hussein lost his right lower leg . He was then taken to a hospital where he was operated on under simple conditions: he woke up twice during the operation. After he was discharged from the hospital on the same day, he was unable to resort to any medication in the following period due to the inadequate supply of the civil war zones. In the hope of better treatment options, Al Hussein then decided to flee to Turkey. Only then did he teach himself to walk again.

Since he was tied to his home in Turkey and his expectations for medical treatment were not met, Al Hussein decided in 2014 to flee to Greece via the Aegean Sea . He reached the Greek island of Samos off the Turkish coast in a rubber dinghy .

In Greece, Al Hussein initially moved using a wheelchair or crutches, later he was given a prosthesis for the first time by a private doctor . He now lives in Athens and most recently worked in a café to make a living.

Swimming career

Career in Syria

Al Hussein came to swimming through his father and, like several of his siblings, competed in his first competitions at the age of five. He often trained in the Euphrates , which flows through his hometown, and regularly jumped from the suspension bridge of Deir ez-Zor into the water. As a teenager, he won several medals at local and national swimming championships.

Rehabilitation and participation in the Paralympics

Ibrahim Al Hussein carries the Paralympic flag at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Paralympics

After treatment in Greece, Ibrahim Al Hussein resumed the sport with the help of local NGO representatives, joined a swimming club and started playing wheelchair basketball . In October 2015 he swam again for the first time in five years and soon trained four hours a day at the Athens Olympic water sports center . In April 2016, his best time in the 50 meter freestyle was 28 seconds, just three seconds above his personal best time without disabilities.

In January 2016 the International Olympic Committee announced that a refugee would carry the Olympic flame through the Athens refugee camp "Eleonas" at the beginning of the Olympic torch relay . The UN refugee agency UNHCR selected Al Hussein for this task, who completed his part of the torch relay on April 26, 2016 with great media interest.

In August 2016, Ibrahim Al Hussein was finally nominated for participation in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro . Alongside the Iranian Shahrad Nasajpour , who lives in the USA , he was one of two refugees in the delegation of independent participants . The initiative for this arose parallel to the nomination of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games. Al Hussein was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony and was therefore the first athlete to enter the Maracanã Stadium . He competed in the S9 class over 50 and 100 meters freestyle and was clearly behind the competition in the run-up with times of 35.54 s and 1:20:98 min. However, he undercut his qualification values ​​by several seconds.

At the closing ceremony of the Paralympics, Al Hussein was honored with the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award , considered one of the highest honors for disabled athletes. The jury particularly emphasized the “ determination and preservance ” on his way to the Paralympic Games.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Tania Karas, Ifigenia Diamanti: Bearing the Olympic Torch. In: UNHCR Tracks. April 22, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016
  2. ↑ Johannes Knuth: Paralympics - Six impressive athletes. In: SZ.de . September 8, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ Ibrahim Al Hussein spreads message of hope. . International Paralympic Committee, August 26, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016.
  4. ↑ a b Displaced athletes to make historic debut at Paralympic Games in Rio. UNHCR, August 26, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016.
  5. ↑ Refugee to carry torch during Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay. Rio 2016, January 29, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016.
  6. ↑ A refugee as an Olympic torchbearer. In: FAZ.net . April 27, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ibrahim Al-Hussein revealed as flag bearer for IPA Team. International Paralympic Committee, September 7, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016.
  8. ^ Winners revealed for Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award. International Paralympic Committee, September 15, 2016, accessed September 26, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Al Hussein, Ibrahim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Syrian swimmer
DATE OF BIRTH September 23, 1988
PLACE OF BIRTH Syria