The team building the attempt

Ahmed Nasef

The athlete of the mission

Ahmed Nasef is an Egyptian endurance swimmer and double-leg amputee athlete. A train accident resulted in the amputation of both legs; the water became the place where he rebuilt a competitive career. On 20 July 2014 he swam the English Channel from England to France in a documented 18 hours and 48 minutes, entered into the Channel Swimming Association Record Book on 1 November 2014. He is now preparing for a two-way crossing: England to France and back to England, with the aim of becoming the first swimmer with a disability to complete the achievement, subject to official verification.

Captain Nabil El Shazly

Technical mentor

An Egyptian open-water swimmer from Alexandria, Captain Nabil El Shazly was a four-time world champion in the early 1960s and was inducted as an Honor Swimmer into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Class of 2020. He served as Egypt's National Open Water Swimming coach for 25 years, and public open-water sources state that he coached 25 successful English Channel crossings. For this mission he provides technical mentorship: reading the Channel, judging tides and weather windows, and shaping the swimmer's pacing strategy across two legs instead of one.

Captain Sameh Nabil El Shazly

Institutional leadership

Captain Sameh Nabil El Shazly is President of the Egyptian Diving & Lifesaving Federation and, according to the project brief, President of the Arab Diving & Lifesaving Federation. CMAS, the World Underwater Federation, lists him as a member of its Board of Directors representing Egypt. In this mission his contribution is institutional rather than in the water: official coordination, federation and authority relations, the partnership and accreditation network, and support for the safety and organisational environment around the attempt.

Captain Osama El Shazly

Training and historical technical preparation

Historical team role

An Egyptian swimming coach and accredited international lecturer who held sports-activity and aquatic-facility leadership roles according to the project file. He was historically connected to Ahmed Nasef's technical and training preparation for the 2014 crossing, and appears in the archive photography from the Channel boat. This description is presented as project-supplied historical information until an approved independent biography is published; no championship record, title or personal detail is stated here beyond what the project team has confirmed.

Captain Khaled Shalaby

Pilot and crossing operations

According to the project file, Captain Khaled Shalaby was pilot and technical director for the 2014 attempt and has long experience of English Channel crossings. His profile is published in outline only: no crossing count, ranking or official title is stated until the project team approves the full biography. In the coming attempt, operations of this kind cover the pilot boat, the course line across two legs, tide timing at the French turn, and the observation and safety routine at sea.