After losing his leg, an Egyptian swimmer achieves two world records

An Egyptian man who lost his leg in a motorbike accident set two Guinness World Records for swimming underwater with a single breath.

In a single breath, Omar Hegazy, 31, swam 185 feet and 4 inches below, then utilised a fin to swim 251 feet and 7.6 inches underwater. When he lost his left leg, he was 25 years old. According to him, he was riding his motorcycle when he hit a pothole and was catapulted underneath a moving vehicle.

Hegazy holds the world records for the longest distance swum underwater with fins on one breath and the largest distance swum underwater on one breath. Both records were in the LA1 category, which is defined by Guinness as an achievement achieved by someone who has undergone a unilateral above-the-knee amputation.

“I was really calm when the physicians gave their final suggestion for amputation,” Hegazy told Guinness World Records. I requested an emergency procedure as well as a cosmetic amputation of the remaining limb.”

He stated he was upset following the amputation, but in 2021, he started reading about others who had broken Guinness World Records after undergoing similar amputations. He hopes that his personal records will now motivate others to overcome obstacles.

“My source of inspiration in the beginning was that I don’t have anything left to lose,” Hegazy explained. I just started swimming because I was in a bad mood. I discovered a means to express my dissatisfaction and rage, but it was also a place where I felt truly free and powerful.”

“I hope these Guinness World Records titles inspire others and serve as a reminder that extraordinary is right around the corner if you only open your eyes wide,” he said.

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