Hamse Ziyad Abdouh (or Hamza Abdu, Arabic: حمزة عبده) (born January 1, 1991[1][2]), is a Palestinian swimmer.
Career
He represented Palestine at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the lead-up to the Games, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the difficulties he faced in training for the Olympics, having only an 18-metre pool at his disposal rather than a standard Olympic-sized 50 metre pool.[3] His coach, while noting the support of the Israeli Swimming Association,[4] lamented the travel restrictions imposed on Palestinians citizens by the Israeli occupation and lack of Palestinian funding, which had hampered his training.[2] The British newspaper The Guardian described him, along with Vanuatu's Elis Lapenmal, as one of the Games' "underdogs",[5] and as such he has also been described as a "potential successor to [Eric] Moussambani".[6]
Abdouh is the Palestinian record holder for the 100-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly.[2] His personal best in the 100-metre freestyle is 56 seconds.[4] He has said that he was inspired to become an Olympic swimmer by his cousin Raed Awisat, who swam for Palestine at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[2] He lives in East Jerusalem.[3]
External links
- "Palestinian swimmer Hamza Abdu swims during a practice session in Jerusalem May 30, 2008.", Reuters image.
- Biography on the official website of the Beijing Olympics
References
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