Abbas Karimi

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.

Abbas Karimi
Personal information
Full nameMohammad Abbas Karimi
Born1997 (age 25–26)
Kabul, Afghanistan
Sport
SportSwimming
Strokes
ClassificationsS5
Medal record
Representing Refugee Team
World Para Swimming Championships
Silver medal – second place2017 Mexico City50m butterfly S5
Representing  United States
World Para Swimming Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 MadeiraMedley relay

Since 2022, Karimi competes for the US 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.

Personal life

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

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]

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