Born without arms in war-torn Afghanistan, Karimi is a model of resilience and profound physical and mental strength. As a young child, he found solace in the water. He learned to swim in the rivers of Kabul and as his innate talent grew, he progressed to swimming in pools.
Despite not having arms, he remained steadfast in his self-reliance and learned how to adapt by using his feet for everyday tasks. At age of 16, Karimi fled Afghanistan on foot, walking through Iran and was subsequently smuggled into Turkey where he lived for four years.
In a fortuitous chain of events, the United Nations Refugee Program relocated Karimi from a Turkish refugee camp as word of his extraordinary swimming capabilities became known. He was brought to Portland, Oregon where he began intensive training for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games with intentions competing in the 50-meter butterfly, 50-meter backstroke and both the 50- and 100-meter freestyle.
Unfortunately, in 2020 the pandemic forced the pools in Oregon to close. His fortune changed once again when his coach told him about Marty Hendrick and the Swim Fort Lauderdale Masters Swim Team, a tightly knit swim group with over 200 members. He was soon invited to relocate to Greater Fort Lauderdale and has been training at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center ever since.
Karimi arrived in the United States after competing four times in the swimming world series and twice in world championships. He’s earned six international medals and won 25 medals from national events and in 2023, he made Team USA for the World Para Swimming Championships in Portugal.
In June 2024, Karimi successfully qualified to the 2024 Paralympic Team where he went on to win silver medals in both the mixed 4x50m freestyle relay and medley relay. This marked his first time swimming for Team USA.
