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Hassan Baraka

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Hassan Baraka
Personal information
Born (1987-04-10) April 10, 1987 (age 37)
Tétouan, Morocco
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesOpen water swimming

Hassan Baraka (born April 10, 1987) is a Moroccan open water swimmer.[1][2]

Career

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Starting his continent-swimming challenge in July 2013,[3] Baraka crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to link Europe and Africa, completing the 16.6 km swim from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours and 1 minute.[3] He holds the distinction of being the youngest Moroccan to achieve this feat.[4] In July 2014, he swam the Bosphorus in Turkey, covering 6.5 km in 57 minutes and 56 seconds, thereby connecting Europe and Asia. He further symbolically bridged continents by swimming 1 km between the Diomede Islands of Russia and the United States in August, followed by a 9 km swim from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia in September. In October of the same year, he completed a 28.8 km swim from Dahab, Egypt to Magna, Saudi Arabia, setting a Guinness World Record for "fastest time to swim the length of the Aqaba Gulf" (8 hours, 30 minutes, 42 seconds).[3][5]

In 2024, Baraka became the first Moroccan swimmer to successfully cross the English Channel, covering a distance of 55 km, marking the biggest achievement of his career. Baraka prepared extensively over several years, participating in numerous long-distance races in varying weather conditions. He completed the Channel swim in 15 hours and 55 minutes.[6]

Baraka is the first Moroccan to have completed the World Marathon Challenge. This challenge involves swimming seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.[7] He holds a record in Lake Aguelmam Azegza, swimming 1600 meters in icy waters, the maximum permitted by International Ice Swimming Association guidelines.[6]

References

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  1. ^ AfricaNews (15 July 2021). "Le nageur marocain Hassan Baraka réussit la traversée du lac Baïkal". Africanews (in French).
  2. ^ "Khénifra : Hassan Baraka réalise une nage de 1.600 mètres en eau glacée et bat son record personnel". Map Ecology (in French). 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  3. ^ a b c Munatones, Steven (2017-02-26). "Hassan Baraka, A Moroccan Swimmer Around The World". World Open Water Swimming Association. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  4. ^ Staff Writer. "Hassan Baraka, youngest Moroccan to swim across the strait of Gibraltar". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  5. ^ Latrech, Oumaima. "Moroccan Swimmer Hassan Baraka Sets Guinness World Record". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  6. ^ a b KHETTOU, Khadija (2024-07-15). "Hassan Baraka : Premier nageur marocain à traverser la Manche". Hespress Français - Actualités du Maroc (in French). Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  7. ^ "Hassan Baraka au World Marathon Challenge". Médias24. December 18, 2015.