Leaving war-torn Afghanistan and climbing over numerous mountains to achieve refugee camps in Turkey was one of many simpler challenges Abbas Karimi has conquered in his life. Born with out arms in Afghanistan, Karimi confronted unfathomable obstacles—from psychological anguish, torment from schoolyard bullies and accidents from falls to studying on a regular basis duties together with his ft. Karimi struggled to seek out his place to slot in and overcome a problem few individuals can relate to.
“All these years, I kept thinking, I’m a kid without arms, but what can I be other than just a kid with no arms,” he says. “I wanted to make my family proud and show them what I’m capable of, be part of society, and have positive effects.”
Karimi discovered his reply when he started swimming within the rivers near his home in Kabul. It was there that he started to seek out peace and solace, a spot the place he might launch the frustrations constructed up over years of bullying and struggles.
“There were a lot of dark moments I went through as a child,” he says. “I realized that water was the only thing that could really calm me down and relax. It’s not the end of the world, and it’s okay if you don’t have arms. I believe swimming saved my life and is keeping me alive. I had no other purpose in life.”
After spending numerous hours honing his swimming means within the rivers, Karimi took his abilities to his brother’s pool, and his dedication to his craft quickly led him to compete nationally in Afghanistan. As his innate expertise grew, Karimi received his first gold medal within the nation, and his life started to remodel.
“I always had to be very strong in everything and defend myself,” he says. “There’s been lots of suffering and lots of pain, but I never surrendered myself to life. I followed the swimming path, kept working hard, and ended up here. Life is not perfect and is full of risks, and this world will not show you mercy, but at the end of the day, whatever people go through, I say it’s worth it to keep working hard for your dreams and goals. If you don’t save yourself, no one will.”
Regardless of making his household proud together with his swimming accomplishments, the battle in Afghanistan took a toll on Karimi, who didn’t see a lot of a future in one of many poorest international locations on Earth. He fled on foot and was capable of trek by Iran and was smuggled into Turkey on the age of 16, the place he stayed in refugee camps for 4 years. As phrase of his extraordinary swimming capabilities unfold, the UNHCR (UN Refugee Company) relocated Karimi from the refugee camp to Portland, Oregon, the place he started intensive coaching for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Video games. He meant to compete within the 50-meter butterfly, 50-meter backstroke, and the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, however COVID compelled the swimming pools to shut and cancel the video games.
Whereas undoubtedly dissatisfied, destiny would intervene when he was contacted by Marty Hendrick and the Swim Fort Lauderdale Masters Swim Workforce, an area swim group with over 200 members. He was quickly invited to relocate to Fort Lauderdale and has been coaching on the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Middle ever since.
Buying and selling within the rivers of Kabul, Afghanistan for the multimillion-dollar Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Middle has been one of many many positives Karimi has skilled since changing into a Fort Lauderdale resident. His love for water has solely grown right here. After swimming apply, the 27-year-old commonly walks to the seashore to attach with the useful resource that offers him life in additional methods than one.
“I’m a water person,” Abbas Karimi says. “Water calms me down, and the best thing I love about the city is that it’s surrounded by water. The beach is so close, and I love everything about it here. I’m living in heaven; it’s a paradise for me.”
After listening to of his profound psychological and bodily resilience, Go to Lauderdale, the vacation spot advertising and marketing group for Larger Fort Lauderdale, fashioned a brand new partnership with the Paralympic hopeful to function its newest ambassador.
“It’s one of the biggest things to happen to me in my swimming career,” Karimi says. “I never had that kind of partnership. After 12 years and lots of hard work, it’s happening. Living in Fort Lauderdale, it’s growing on me and being selected by the Visit Lauderdale team is a big honor for me and I will work so hard to make them proud and be the best ambassador and a good representative of the city.”
As an accessibility ambassador for Go to Lauderdale, Karimi will go to varied locations all through Larger Fort Lauderdale and showcase their accessibility by varied advertising and marketing campaigns.
“Inclusivity is an important part of our mission at Visit Lauderdale,” says Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Go to Lauderdale. “We pride ourselves in making everyone feel welcomed with open arms in our destination. Our ambassador campaign with Abbas will hopefully inspire others to dream big and work hard towards their goals. Abbas will also help us show locals and visitors how accessible Greater Fort Lauderdale has become over the years.”
Since his arrival within the U.S., Karimi has competed 4 occasions within the Para Swimming World Collection and twice within the World Championships. He’s earned six worldwide medals and received 25 medals from nationwide occasions. In 2023, he made Workforce USA for the World Para Swimming Championships in Portugal. His subsequent purpose is to qualify for the Paris Paralympics in late August. He practices six days every week with a strict food plan and coaching routine that options 2.5 miles of swimming every apply.
He says, “If my story can motivate someone or give a little bit of hope to someone’s heart to help them keep going, it was worth it.”
For extra data on Abbas Karimi and his swimming profession, go to www.abbas-karimi.com. To find out about Go to Lauderdale’s accessibility initiatives, go to www.visitlauderdale.com/accessibility/
