Moroccan swimmer achieves historic first by crossing the English Channel

After years of extensive training, Moroccan swimmer Hassan Baraka made history over the weekend by becoming the first Moroccan to swim the English Channel. The 55-kilmenter journey from Dover, England to Cap Blanc-Nez in France took him 15 hours and 55 minutes to complete.

The notoriously difficult swim provided a multitude of challenges: cold temperatures, strong currents and jellyfish. He had to wait for favorable weather conditions before embarking on the epic swim at 3:14 am.

Baraka completed the journey from Dover, United Kingdom to Cap Blanc-Nez, France in 15 hours and 55 minutes. His feat was a culmination of years of extensive preparation and participation in long-distance races under varying climatic conditions.

“The most important thing is that I crossed the finish line,” Baraka told MAP, Morocco’s national news agency.

Before crossing the English Channel, he swam across the straits of Gibraltar and the Bosphorus. He also swam from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia as well as Egypt to Saudi Arabia.

Born in 1987 in Tetouan, Baraka is also an elite runner. He’s the first and only Moroccan to complete the World Marathon Challenge whereby runners have to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. As of February 2023, only 195 individuals have completed the challenge.

 These include crossing the Bosphorus and Gibraltar straits, as well as swims between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (9 km in 3 hours and 46 minutes) and between Egypt and Saudi Arabia (28.11 km).

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/07/363928/hassan-baraka-becomes-first-moroccan-to-swim-across-the-english-channel