Russian woman who conquered the English Channel shares insights on long-distance swimmers in the United Arab Emirates
In the sunny and warm climate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), open-water swimming has been gaining popularity over the last decade. The UAE offers excellent swimming infrastructure and coaching for endurance and long-distance swimming, with expert coaching adapted to the local climate and year-round sunny conditions suitable for training.
Various swimming academies and schools in the UAE, such as Advantage Swimming Academy and Al Qemah Swimming School in Abu Dhabi, provide extensive swimming programs and coaching which could support endurance swimmers. However, no explicit references were found regarding UAE-based endurance swimmers who have completed or attempted major global open-water challenges.
One notable exception is Natalya Pankina, a Russian woman who made history in 2007 by becoming the first woman from Russia to complete the English Channel solo swim. Pankina's achievement took 8 hours and 11 minutes to cover a distance of 33 kilometers. Although she came close to breaking the world record for women in her English Channel solo swim, changing weather conditions affected her attempt.
Pankina is currently training swimmers at I Love Supersport academy in the UAE. She considers Maher El-Tabchy, a Dubai-based amateur, to be stubborn and dedicated, traits that she believes are crucial for endurance swimming. El-Tabchy, along with Eric Robertsen, another Dubai-based swimmer, shares a passion for endurance swimming. In 2020, they swam 29 kilometers from The World Islands to the Dubai shore, showcasing their dedication to the sport.
Robertsen has the ambition to complete the English Channel swim, according to Pankina. Meanwhile, Hazarika, a 41-year-old Indian swimmer, completed the English Channel swim in a relay mode. Hazarika's career highlights as an endurance swimmer include a two-way swim between Cape Town and Robben Island.
Pankina believes that having a special mindset is crucial for endurance swimming, as the mental challenge is even bigger than the physical challenge. She has seen potential in some young Emirati swimmers and hopes to see them at the world championships and Olympics. Pankina hopes to produce a swimmer in the UAE who can put the country on the global map of long-distance swimming.
Outdoor swimming is gaining momentum in the UAE with the Dubai Sports Council organizing open-water events. As the sport continues to grow, it will be interesting to see if the UAE can produce its own prominent endurance swimmers to take on the major open-water challenges internationally.
- In the UAE, where culture is diverse and the weather is consistently sunny, Natalya Pankina, a renowned swimmers, is currently training swimmers at I Love Supersport Academy.
- Maher El-Tabchy, a Dubai-based amateur swimmer, and Eric Robertsen, another Dubai-based swimmer, have displayed their dedication to endurance swimming by swimming 29 kilometers from The World Islands to the Dubai shore.
- Pankina, who made history by becoming the first woman from Russia to complete the English Channel solo swim, believes that having a special mindset is crucial for endurance swimming, as the mental challenge is even greater than the physical one.
- As the popularity of open-water swimming grows in the UAE, the Dubai Sports Council is organizing open-water events, creating opportunities for young Emirati swimmers to excel in sports and potentially represent the UAE at the world championships and Olympics.
