Four Emirati siblings swim into Guinness World Records
- Last updated: February 24, 2026 | 15:18 ..
Abdul Rahman Saeed, Staff Reporter
Emirati swimmer Obaid Al Jasmi and three of his brothers achieved a world record in a relay race at the World Championships, a first-of-its-kind event in history.
Al Jasmi told Al Khaleej that it was the first time that four brothers participated together in a relay race in an official world championship, and this achievement was officially recognised by the International Swimming Federation, as well as by Guinness World Records.
Al Jasmi emphasised that the official entry of the family name into Guinness World Records was not just a certificate or a number added to a record, but rather a culmination of many years of effort and training.
He recounted their story, saying: The beginning was by chance... Football was our favourite game, and our father saw us very enthusiastic, so he took us to Al Wahda Club in Abu Dhabi to register us for football.
"When we arrived at the club, there was no one on the field, and when we were about to leave, a bus stopped in front of the club, and the players got off, then the coach got off. Our father approached him and asked: I want to register my sons for football, where can I register them?"
The coach looked at us and then asked my father: Why football? Why don't you enroll them in swimming? From that moment, he started to convince him that swimming is a sport that builds the body and character.
"Our father was a former pearl diver, he knew the sea well. He registered us in swimming, and the journey started. Our parents were our official sponsors, as we did not have financial sponsors in our early days. They were with us in every championship, on every trip, in every training, and without family support, we would not have reached this level," said Al Jasmi.
He added: Brotherhood was the real strength in our journey. Competition among us existed from the beginning. Each of us sought to develop ourselves, but at the same time pushed his brother forward, and we were able to progress in achievements from local championships, to Gulf, to Arab, then Asian, reaching world and Olympic championships, and finally to Guinness World Records.
Al Jasmi further said "for four brothers to stand on the podium of a world championship, representing their country in one race, is a message in itself before being a number. The achievement is the beginning of a greater responsibility, not the end of a path. This achievement gave us a moment of great pride and deep gratitude."
"Most importantly, this achievement was a starting point from which we continued our journey, and among the most recent participations was our collective participation in the Masters Games recently held in Abu Dhabi, where we participated as brothers and won new medals," he concluded.