Abbas Karimi: A True Champion

Paralympic champion, Abbas Karimi, comes to Florida State University this month to talk about his extraordinary athletic prowess and road to victories.

Having recently returned from the 2024 Paralympics in Paris with a silver medal in the men’s 4×50-meter freestyle relay, Karimi proudly advises, “Never give up. Never quit, no matter how impossible your dream or goals are.”

The Paris medal was just the latest in a series of triumphs for Karimi who exceled at backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle in the 2023 Parapan American Games, 2022 World Para Swimming competition, and 2022 Indianapolis World Series where he won his first gold medal as a United States citizen.

Born in Afghanistan without arms, Abbas Karimi endured childhood bullying until learning martial arts to defend himself. He also found comfort by swimming in the Kabul River and in a homemade pool built by his brother. At age 16, Karimi decided to leave bomb-torn Kabul to embark on a grueling journey through Iran and Turkey before becoming a refugee athlete in the U.S. in 2016.

In 2021, Karimi was appointed a High Profile Supporter for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to support and advocate for displaced people throughout the world.

Swim Fort Lauderdale Coach Marty Hendrick says of Karimi: “Everyone has challenges. Ours are just packaged differently. No one’s life is perfect. [Abbas’s] challenge is just very obvious. And life goes on. He is making the most of it. He is the definition of a true champion.”

Event details: What: “Abbas Karimi: Living and Thriving with a Disability” – free and open to the public
When: 6 PM on Monday, October 21 with pizza served after the talk
Where: Moore Auditorium on the FSU campus in the Oglesby Union Complex

The University of Choice (UoC) is a student led advocacy group at Florida State University that fosters relationships, builds community relations, and advocates for the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Each October, UoC recognizes National Disability Employment Awareness Month with a distinguished inspirational speaker.

For more information see the University of Choice Facebook page (@uocfsu) and Instagram (@fsu_uoc).