Azad Al-Barazi
Azad Al-Barazi (born January 4, 1988) is an American-Syrian swimmer who specializes in breaststroke. He has dual citizenship in Syria and the United States and lives in the United States. He was invited to apply for Syrian citizenship after someone saw him swimming in a public pool in 2010. He has represented Syria at major competitions, including the Olympic Games in 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro). At the 2012 Olympics he qualified for the men's 100 m breaststroke through a universality place after posting a personal best of 1:00.35 at the AT&T Winter Nationals. He swam in heat two and finished 1:00.48, 21st overall in the prelims, and did not advance to the semifinals.
Al-Barazi has competed in other international events, such as the 2014 Short Track World Championships in Doha, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, and the 2016 Arab Games in Dubai. In 2017, he won three medals for Syria at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku (50 m, 100 m, and 200 m breaststroke).
Off the pool, he has been a Los Angeles County lifeguard since 2007 and has competed in lifeguard championships for the United States. He attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, earning a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a minor in sports nutrition, and swam for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, graduating with honors in 2010. He currently trains full-time with the Trojan Swim Club at the University of Southern California under coach Dave Salo; he is about 2.05 m tall and weighs around 110 kg.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:54 (CET).