Two Moroccans achieved two Guinness World Records titles last October

Weather of Arabia - Guinness World Records, the official authority for monitoring and recording records around the world, revealed two Moroccan achievements in its records, bringing the total number of numbers achieved by Moroccans to 28 in total.

The fastest time to cross the Gulf of Aqaba swimming

World swimmer Hassan Baraka , who is currently 34 years old, managed to achieve the Guinness World Records title for the fastest swimming time to cross the Gulf of Aqaba in 8 hours, 30 minutes and 42 seconds. Meanwhile, 27-year-old Aida Al-Wadoudi managed to achieve 122 hula-hoops around one foot in 30 seconds, breaking the previous record, which stood at 119.

Barakah made an attempt to break the record in 2014, but he did not submit a request to document this achievement until 2020 and did not complete the required evidence until a few months ago. Where he was the first to swim this geographical path in order to achieve a record number, and obtaining permits from several countries required a lot of logistical requirements. "Cutting the Gulf of Aqaba was the most difficult challenge in my life," he says.

Baraka managed to cover a distance of 28.1 kilometers when he was 27 years old. He was accompanied on the trip by 5 Saudi coast guard boats carrying about 50 people, and he was received in total by about 200 people at the end of the trip. Documenting the record required him to obtain a lot of technical information related to his attempt and some documentation from the Saudi authorities and the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in addition to data related to GPS tracking and video evidence.

Hassan, who holds an MBA from Toulouse, France, also has the skills of inspiring speakers and has a book called The Power of Failure. “Achieving a Guinness World Record is one of the dreams of my life,” he says. “When I was a kid, I used to order a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records at the end of each year to read inspiring stories from the most influential people on earth. The moment I received this recognition was truly extraordinary.”

The most number of times a hulahoop is wrapped around a foot

For her part, Aida El Ouedoudi , a 27-year-old from Tangiers, shares this dream of setting a world record. She was able to do so after the disease changed her life during the Corona pandemic. Where she felt the worst moments of her life last year after her body was very weak considering that she does not practice any kind of sports. However, within a few months, she was able to win a precious title that requires a lot of skill and effort in record time.

"I used to lie on my back and play hula hoops just to pass the time, which started to give me some strength in my feet. And because I was enjoying it, I decided to take up this sport," she says.

Aida did more exercises and long walks, in addition to taking regular ice baths. She also worked on regulating her breathing and participated in meditation sessions to give her body more balance and flexibility. She adds, "When I participated with a ballet and gymnastics coach for the first time, I could not keep up with the required movements, but with commitment to the exercise, I was able to reach an advanced stage of stability and strength."

Fearing failure, Aida only told her mother about her intentions to achieve the Guinness World Records title. She asserts: "Because my dream was to achieve this title since childhood, I wanted to do it in my hometown of Tangiers. The moment I saw my name on the official website was indescribable, and that changed my view of all things, I now realize that a person can achieve anything." If he works hard at it."

Aida is on the path to achieving her goal of becoming an inspirational speaker, stress coach and yoga teacher. She also hopes to publish her own book, and to achieve more world records.