Jeddah: Saudi swimmer Mariam Bin Laden made history as the first woman and Arab to cross Red Sea. She conquered a 160km journey from Saudi Arabia to Egypt.
Mariam swam alongside environmental advocate Lewis Pugh and Egyptian swimmer Mostafa Zaki, as a part climate action to protect oceans and coral reefs ahead of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.
Previously, Mariam became the first Arab woman to swim from Europe to Asia in the Hellespont Open Water Competition in Turkey. She was also the first woman to swim the entire length of the River Thames in London in 2016 over ten days, as well as the first swimmer to complete a 24km race from the Dubai Creek and the Dubai Water Canal in the UAE in less than nine hours.
Mariam partnered up with the UNHCR to continuously bring Syrian refugees plights to the spotlight, and has established a dental medical centre in Azraq camp.