Jeddah: Saudi dentist and certified endurance swimmer, Dr Mariam Saleh Bin Laden, has made history this week by becoming the first Arab woman to swim across the Red Sea between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
According to Arab News, the Saudi swimmer completed the journey within four hours, crossing nine kilometres of open sea, despite the presence of sharks in the Red Sea. She reportedly used a device which would keep sharks at bay by three metres, although at one point the device is said to have malfunctioned.
She was accompanied in the water on her 9-kilometer swim by Lewis Pugh, a British South African endurance swimmer and UN patron of the oceans.
Binladen told Arab News: "During the final moments of the swim, I felt elated, a sense of jubilation, and blessed to have achieved my goal with my body intact.
Due to high winds and rough seas, the swim had to be staggered over two days.
Binladen has been involved in open water endurance swimming professionally since 2012.
"I train hard at least three times a week. Over my weekends, I alternate between four to six hours of swims to maintain momentum. I maintain a dedicated fitness regime, and I keep to a physically gruelling schedule when I am preparing for a challenge," she added.
Her first major world record-breaking swim was in London's River Thames in 2016, but she pointed out that the Red Sea attempt was for a greater cause.
Long-distance swimming, she noted, was physically and mentally challenging and it was only with the support of a sports counselor and her family that she was able to prepare herself.
She now has five world records to her name, including being the first Arab to complete the Dardanelles Strait open water race in Turkey from Asia to Europe, in August 2015, completing the 6.5-km distance in one hour, 27 minutes, and 26 seconds.
In September 2016, she became the first Saudi to complete an assisted swim across the English Channel of 39.7 km, a feat she did in 11 hours and 41 minutes.
And she was also the first swimmer to cross the Dubai Creek and Dubai Water Canal, clocking up a total distance of 24 km in nine hours and 10 minutes.