• Egyptian swimmer Omar Sayed Shaaban, 21, who has broken the record for the highest out-of-water jump while wearing a monofin, arrives for a training session at Cairo Stadium Swimming Pools, Egypt. Reuters
    Egyptian swimmer Omar Sayed Shaaban, 21, who has broken the record for the highest out-of-water jump while wearing a monofin, arrives for a training session at Cairo Stadium Swimming Pools, Egypt. Reuters
  • Shaaban broke a record that had stood for nine years, according to Guinness World Records. Reuters
    Shaaban broke a record that had stood for nine years, according to Guinness World Records. Reuters
  • The Egyptian is also one of the world’s fastest sprinters underwater, reports say. Reuters
    The Egyptian is also one of the world’s fastest sprinters underwater, reports say. Reuters
  • Shabaan is also a civil engineering student. Reuters
    Shabaan is also a civil engineering student. Reuters
  • The monofin jump record title is popular in his area, Guinness World Records says, since previous record holder Soliman Sayed is not only a fellow Egyptian, but comes from Ismailia, the same city Shabaan is from. Reuters
    The monofin jump record title is popular in his area, Guinness World Records says, since previous record holder Soliman Sayed is not only a fellow Egyptian, but comes from Ismailia, the same city Shabaan is from. Reuters
  • Monofins are typically used in underwater sports such as fin swimming and free-diving. Reuters
    Monofins are typically used in underwater sports such as fin swimming and free-diving. Reuters

Like a fish (jumping) out of water: Egyptian record breaker shows how it's done


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Athletes are constantly trying to reach new heights - some of them literally.

Take a look at Egypt's Omar Sayed Shaaban, who recently entered the Guinness World Records for the highest out-of-water jump while wearing a monofin, reaching a remarkable 2.30 metres.

The 21-year-old, who trains at Cairo Stadium Swimming Pools, broke a record that had stood for nine years.

The civil engineering student took the record from Soliman Sayed, who is not only a fellow Egyptian, but comes from Ismailia, the same city as Shabaan.

Shabaan is also regarded as one of the world’s fastest sprinters underwater.

He trains three times a day, two of them in water, with a gym session in-between, and can cross 50 metres underwater on one breath in only 15.6 seconds, and 100 metres in 35.5 seconds while wearing a snorkel, according to Guinness World Records.

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