RIYADH: Abdulrahman Boksmati and Ghaith Boksmati from Jeddah have become the first Saudis to complete the 20-bridge swim in Manhattan, New York.
The 30-mile (48.5 km) lap around the island is one of three swims that make up the “triple crown” of open water swimming, with the title awarded to swimmers who complete the Catalina Channel, the English Channel and the largest of the three, the Manhattan 20 Bridges.
Abdulrahman, who has been swimming with Ghaith for more than 13 years, swam the English Channel in 2021, becoming only the fourth Saudi to do so – and he was just one swim away from winning the title.
The Saudi brothers completed Manhattan’s 20 Bridges Swim, a 30-mile circuit around the island and one of three swim events that make up the “triple crown” of open water swimming. (Supplied)
Both brothers are engineers at Saudi Aramco: Abdulrahman, 26, has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering and has been working as a control engineer for three years, and Ghaith, 23, has a degree in computer science and engineering and has been working as a network engineer for a year.
“I owe it to our father, our parents, that we started swimming,” Abdulrahman told Arab News. “My father used to be a swimmer for the national team and he got us (siblings) into swimming at a young age.”
Although it was just a pastime at first, the brothers quickly progressed professionally and began training at Al-Ittihad. In middle and high school, they joined the Golden Swimmer team founded by coach Abdullah Al-Jehani and competed in local and international swimming competitions.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Abdulrahman Boksmati swam the English Channel in 2021, becoming only the fourth Saudi to do so.
• The Triple Crown title is awarded to swimmers who complete the Catalina Channel, the English Channel and the largest of the three, the Manhattan 20 Bridges.
Although Saudi Arabia’s hot climate should encourage more swimming facilities, the brothers said it was difficult to find accessible and affordable 25-meter pools outside of schools, sports facilities and gyms when they were growing up – and that remains the case today.
Abdulrahman said local swimmers are often forced to look for reservation times at other clubs and attend their meetings.
The brothers expressed their desire to continue the swimming tradition with their families in the future, citing the physical and mental benefits. (Supplied)
It was during their studies that the brothers first came into contact with open water swimming through Red Top Swim, a British team led by coach Tim Denyer.
Abdulrahman said he was unhappy with his swimming progress and in his final year at university he decided it was time for a challenge, and so he swam the English Channel.
Having only ever been able to swim in a pool – a controlled environment – one of their first lessons was how much open water swimming depends on the conditions of the day. Swimming the English Channel can take “anywhere from eight to 16 hours,” according to Abdulrahman.
It was very important to keep the spirits up and encourage each other to reach the finish.
Ghaith BoksmatiSaudi swimmer
Abdulrahman swam the English Channel 40 years after the last Saudi did so in 1981.
Although open water swimming has not yet gained much traction in the Saudi swimming community, the brothers are confident that as word spreads, many more swimmers will attempt such challenges, especially since age and speed are not prerequisites.
“Many people I saw cross the English Channel were in their mid-20s to mid-60s. Anyone can do it if they train well enough,” said Abdulrahman.
Unlike the English Channel in the Atlantic, the 20 Bridges Swim took place in the middle of a bustling metropolis. And with the city views came the city’s problems.
“It was the waviest water I’ve ever swum in,” Abdulrahman said, adding that swimmers can experience severe dizziness and nausea during the experience.
Ghaith said boat traffic was unusually high because the swim took place on a Saturday: “Every time boats go by, there are more waves… that slows us down.”
He explained that the combination of waves, fumes of gasoline from boats and unpleasant smells emanating from the dirty water in some places, as well as the occasional impact with unknown foreign objects, made the eight-hour, 36-minute swim a test of patience and mental resilience.
“At some point I thought, maybe this is a bit too much … you’re not swimming in a pool, you’re swimming in an ecosystem,” Ghaith said.
Abdulrahman remembered the advice Denyer had given him before the swim to get through it: “Imagine that this was your eight-hour job from nine to five today. Instead of control engineering, it’s about swimming. There’s no way around it.”
And most importantly, don’t look ahead. “Looking at the end defeats the purpose, it actually demotivates you,” he said. “You swim for 30 minutes and then you look back up and see the same thing. It’s a mental drain.”
But at the end of the day, the experience was worth it. “Yes, there were a lot of obstacles that we didn’t expect,” said Abdulrahman, “but honestly, it was really a pleasure to see Manhattan and New York from a different perspective, namely through the water.”
When asked about training for such a swimming trip, the brothers emphasized how important the cold dives were to get the body used to the low temperatures.
In the months and weeks leading up to the 20 Bridges, Abdulrahman and Ghaith woke up at 5 a.m. every day to practice before starting their work days, coordinating their pace as best they could.
They also had to work with unforeseen circumstances after Ghaith broke his collarbone in a sprint triathlon two months before the swim and was benched for four weeks.
During a six-hour practice swim they completed before the challenge to ensure they could complete long distances, the brothers tested the meal plan they would have on swim day. Meals are taken in 30-minute intervals and include a mix of carbohydrate powders and non-carbonated soda to keep the swimmers’ energy levels high.
They also used this time during the swim to inform each other. “That was very important to keep the spirits up and encourage each other to the finish,” said Ghaith.
When asked what motivated them to continue playing the sport over the years, they cited both personal and community motivational factors.
“I want to see what I can achieve and how hard I can push myself,” Ghaith said. “The problem for many swimmers is that swimming can get boring… you’re in the water all the time, there’s no teamwork.”
Abdulrahman said experienced swimmers would hold him accountable during training by tracking his progress online and sending him a message every time he missed a session: “You’re going to drown in the canal.” Terrifying but effective.
“Our peers are a great source of inspiration,” said Ghaith, adding that the swimming community in Saudi Arabia does a good job of keeping an eye on each other across different clubs, achievements and stages of life, and is united by mutual admiration and a desire to constantly improve and grow.
In pursuit of the triple crown, the brothers hope to make it a family affair by joining their other two brothers and their father in a relay across the English Channel later this year, an achievement that could cement the Boksmati family’s reputation as heavyweights in the Saudi swimming community.
The brothers also expressed their desire to continue the swimming tradition with their families in the future and pointed out the physical and mental benefits of swimming.
“It (swimming) teaches a lot of good values when it comes to things like discipline, keeping calm, competitiveness and patience,” Abdulrahman said.
The brothers and athletes like 16-year-old swimmer Zaid Al-Sarraj, the youngest member of the Saudi Olympic team this year, and taekwondo star Dunya Abu Taleb, the first Saudi athlete to qualify for the Olympics based on her performance and without a wildcard invitation, are inspiring a new generation to keep raising the bar for sport in the Kingdom.
