The Paris 2024 Olympics are scheduled to take place from Friday, 26 July to Sunday, 11 August, and there is exciting news from GEMS Education as two students have qualified to participate. Karin Belbeisi, a 15-year-old student at GEMS Wellington Academy, Al Khail, will represent Jordan in the 400m freestyle swimming event. Christina Rach, aged 16, who attends GEMS Wellington International School, Al Sufouh 1, will compete in the 50m freestyle swimming event representing Eritrea, East Africa.
Both teenage swimmers, who train under Hamilton Aquatics at GEMS Wellington Academy, Al Khail, have achieved their lifelong dreams of competing at the Olympics after years of dedicated training and intense international competitions.
Christina Rach began swimming at the age of six and joined the Hamilton Aquatics Squads Programme by the time she was 10. Christina Rach's journey to qualify for Paris 2024 has been marked by her participation in various international competitions. In November 2023, she excelled at the African Aquatics Zone 3 Championships, winning gold medals in the 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle, along with a silver in the 50m freestyle.
In February 2024, Christina Rach competed at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, achieving a personal best in the 50m freestyle. Her outstanding performance there secured her a place at the Paris Games.
Sharing her pride and pleasure of representing her country at the Olympic Games, Christina Rach, said, "It’s been a long journey of around nine years of hard work in the pool with Hamilton Aquatics, developing both physical and mental attributes needed to compete at this high level. To reach the highest stage this sport offers is the ultimate reward of the work I’ve put in, and to do it with other swimmers who I have trained with in the past is a bonus. I will be swimming 50m freestyle and I’m extremely excited to represent my country and do myself, my coach, my parents, and teammates proud."
Karin Belbeisi began her swimming journey at the age of four during an intensive summer course with Hamilton Aquatics. At the age of 13, she represented Jordan for the first time at the 2022 Arab Championships in Algeria. Karin Belbeisi's path to the Olympics included winning three medals at the 2024 Arab Championships in Qatar and competing in the 2024 World Long Course Championships in Doha.
Following her impressive performances at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Karin Belbeisi was considered for Jordan's Olympic team. She solidified her place by travelling to Singapore for the 19th Singapore Nationals, where she set personal bests in the 400m individual medley, 400m freestyle, and 800m freestyle, ultimately securing her spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Expressing her delight at being selected for the Olympics, Karin Belbeisi, said, "I am so excited to represent Jordan at the Paris Olympics. It is a dream come true!"