We are hugely proud that three Nile Swimmers are now at Rio 2016 preparing for their events. Abdelaziz Alfatih (Azo) and Haneen Sami are both Aquatic Survival Instructors and qualified Lifeguards. They will both be representing Sudan in the 50m freestyle. Aabid Hammour is the national coach and a member of our Management Team. In this three part blog, we catch up with each of them to find out more. This time, we chat to 21-year old Azo.
When did you start swimming?
I started swimming in 2002 when I was 7 years old.
What do you do now?
I work as a swimming teacher at the Kafoury Club. The best part of my job is teaching children to swim and showing them how they have fun and stay safe in the water.
How do you fit in your training?
I train for three hours a day. It takes a lot of organisation but I always give the best of my time to my swimming training.
What are you most looking forward to while you are in Rio?
My main aim is to register my name in Olympic history! It is a huge honour to represent my country in the Olympic games. Between now and my race, I will be training hard and making sure that I am ready for the big day.
Why do you think the work of Nile Swimmers is important in Sudan?
People drown every day in Sudan. Nile Swimmers teaches people to make their lives safer. The more people that we train, the less people will drown.
What advice would you give to aspiring Olympic athletes?
Work hard. Train hard.
Azo will be competing in 50m freestyle on 11th August.
You can see the first part of this blog, about Coach Aabid, here.
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