Omar Hegazy lost his left leg in an accident in 2015.
Omar Hegazy lost a leg in a road accident but that did not dampen his spirit. And he broke two Guinness records last week by swimming "largest distance underwater with one breath" (185 feet and 4 inches). The 31-year-old Egyptian also broke the record for "longest distance swam underwater with one breath with fins" (251 feet, 7.68 inches).
“Having my name written in history i feel... I feel empty! nothing beats the Journey. Enjoyed every cold windy day in the pool. Enjoyed after midnight training sessions. Enjoyed the friendships and the unconditional love I saw in the eyes of my friends, family and coaches. Still hungry for more! For tougher More Dangerous And crazier adventures to come Forever adrenaline junkie," Hegazy posted on Instagram, with photos of his achievement.
In 2015, Hegazy, a former banker in the Sinai Peninsula, met with an accident while riding his motorcycle and driving over a road pit. He was thrown beneath a moving truck. Hegazy's left leg was amputated and replaced with a prosthetic limb.
Dareen Barbar, the world title holder for the longest Samson's chair/static wall sit (female), and Faisal Al Mosawi, the world mark holder for the quickest 10-kilometer scuba diving, were two amputee athletes that inspired him.
“At that moment, I didn't know if I was dead or alive,” Hegazy was quoted as saying by GWR. “My mental health was collapsing dramatically and I started to have an identity crisis. I didn't know what I was capable of,” he said.
"At first, my source of inspiration was the fact that I didn't have much to lose. I just started swimming because I was in a bad mood. He told GWR, "I discovered a method to take out my rage and aggravation, but it was also a place where I felt incredibly free and capable."
Hegazy has also swum across the Aqaba Gulf, climbed a mountain, and cycled from Taba, Egypt, to Giza, Egypt.