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Iran’s Asghari swims into Guinness Book of World Records

Iranian female swimmer Elham Sadat Asghari poses with her Guinness World Record Certificate during a ceremony in the capital Tehran on July 23, 2017.

Iranian female swimmer Elham Sadat Asghari has managed to swim her way into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The 36-year-old Iranian sportswoman recently completed the challenge of swimming handcuffed for more than three hours non-stop in the Persian Gulf waters off the coast of the southwestern port city of Bushehr, located 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) south of the capital Tehran.

She received her Guinness World Record Certificate during a ceremony in Tehran a few days ago.

“I went through a great deal of trouble and difficulties to establish this record. Patriotism and my friends’ unswerving support, however, encouraged me to be the first Iranian woman to secure a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records,” Asghari told IRNA news agency on Tuesday.

The Iranian female swimmer added that she is fully prepared to set five new records, but needs sponsors.

The Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs recognized Asghari's 12-kilometer swim for her usage of the full-body swimming outfit in 2008.

The ministry, however, refused to approve her alleged 20-kilometers swimming record in the Caspian Sea in northern Iran in June 2013.

“What she has done is a personal act without coordinating with the Iran Amateur Swimming Federation (IASF) and the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs,” Reza Habibi, a member of the technical committee at IASF, said at the time.

He added that the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) only acknowledges swims of 5, 10, 15 and 25 kilometers.


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