Azad Al-Barazi

Azad Al-Barazi (Arabic: آزاد البرازي‎; born January 4, 1988 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) is an American-Syrian swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.[1][2]The grandson of Kurdish Syrian Prime Minister Muhsin al-Barazi’s cousin, Al-Barazi holds a dual citizenship between his parents' nation Syria and the United States, where he is resides.[3][4][5]

Azad Al-Barazi
Personal information
Full nameAzad Al-Barazi
Nationality Syria  United States
Born (1988-01-04) 4 January 1988
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[1]
Height2.05 m (6 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Weight110 kg (243 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubTrojan Swim Club (USA)[1]
College teamUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
(USA)[1]
CoachDave Salo (USA)[1]

Al-Barazi qualified for the men's 100 m breaststroke, as a member of the Syrian team, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He received a Universality place by posting a personal best of 1:00.35 from the AT&T Winter National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.[6][7] He challenged seven other swimmers on the second heat, including four-time Olympians Malick Fall of Senegal and Jakob Jóhann Sveinsson of Iceland. He touched out European junior champion Dănilă Artiomov of Moldova to take a seventh spot by 0.09 of a second in 1:00.48. Al-Barazi failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed twenty-first overall on the first day of preliminaries.[8][9]

Al-Barazi has also been a Los Angeles County Lifeguard since 2007 and has competed in several international lifeguard competitions for the United States.[10] He attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a minor in sports nutrition. Al-Barazi later became a varsity swimmer for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, before he graduated with honors in 2010.[5]

Al-Barazi is a full-time member of the Trojans Swim Club at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, under his personal coach Dave Salo.[1]

References
  1. "Azad Al-Barazi". London 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Azad Al-Barazi". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/california-lifeguard-wants-to-be-an-olympic-beacon-of-hope-for-fellow-syrians/2016/03/13/54478c84-e79d-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html
  4. Dugan, Emily (25 July 2012). "Azad Al-Barazi: Swimming for Syria". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  5. "Eye On Olympics: Trio of UH Swimmers Headed To London". University of Hawaii Athletics. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  6. "Qualifying Athletes – Men's 100 m breaststroke" (PDF). FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  7. Braden, Keith (25 July 2012). "Olympic Invites Extended for "B" Times". SwimSwam. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  8. "Men's 100m Breaststroke Heat 2". London 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  9. "Azad Al-Barazi's Olympic Run Comes To A Close". University of Hawaii Athletics. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  10. Price, S.L. (25 July 2012). "With Syria fighting for its future, athletes continue to carry the flag". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
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