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Hassan Abd el Rehim

1950 Channel race winner · 10 hours 50 minutes

Also recorded as Hassan Abdel Rehim, Hassan Abd El Rehim.

Nationality: Egyptian
Profession: Army officer
Successful solo Channel swims: Four — 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951
Direction experience: Completed crossings in both directions
1950 Channel race: Winner of the Daily Mail race in 10 hours 50 minutes
1951 Channel race: Third place in 12 hours 25 minutes
Other documented swim: English mainland to Lundy Island, 31 July 1952
Hall of Fame: International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, 1966

Biography

Hassan Abd el Rehim was an Egyptian army officer and a leading Channel swimmer in the years when international races attracted growing attention to the crossing. He completed four successful solo swims between 1948 and 1951, including crossings in both directions, building his career through repeated returns to the same demanding waterway.

His outstanding performance came in the 1950 Daily Mail Channel race. Swimming from France to England, he finished first in 10 hours and 50 minutes and established a Channel speed record that stood until 1960. Harry Sharp piloted his escort boat, Britannia, and he landed at South Foreland. The result placed him among the central figures of the post-war Channel racing era.

He returned for the 1951 race and finished third in 12 hours and 25 minutes, reaching Shakespeare Cliff. That swim used a different escort arrangement: E. Duggen piloted Early Morn. His swimming also extended beyond the Dover Strait. On 31 July 1952 he reached Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, an achievement associated with an unusual prize offer of livestock or cash.

He was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966. His record combines sustained participation, success in competitive Channel racing and a long-standing speed benchmark.

Selected Channel swim records

1950 Daily Mail Channel race victory

Sources disagree

Recorded swim date · Tuesday, 22 August 1950 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 10h 50m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · Published swim date only; exact start and finish clocks were not established. CSA, IMSHOF and Dover’s individual record agree on 10:50; one museum photo caption instead prints 10:49.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · France → England

Arrival · South Foreland, England

Pilot / piloting team · Harry Sharp

Escort vessel · Britannia

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association — public individual record checked

How this record was checked

CSA individual record 2251 was checked for route, year and duration. Dover supplies the day; museum item d17701 supplies pilot, vessel and landing place. The duration discrepancy is disclosed. No original observer log was inspected.

Channel Swimming Association: Hassan Abd el Rehim, 1950

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover.uk.com: Hassan Abdel Rehim, 22 August 1950

Checked 2026-10-31

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: Hassan Abdel Rehim

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover Museum archive d17701: Hassan Abd El Rehim and Eileen Fenton

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Hassan’s 1950 and 1951 pilot, escort vessel and landing places; 1952 Lundy swim.

Third place in the 1951 Channel race

Published account checked

Recorded swim date · Thursday, 16 August 1951 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 12h 25m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · Dover’s calendar date is retained as a published swim date. Exact departure and arrival times are unavailable.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · France → England

Arrival · Shakespeare Cliff, England

Pilot / piloting team · E. Duggen

Escort vessel · Early Morn

How this record was checked

The individual Dover record confirms date, route and 12:25; IMSHOF corroborates the duration. Museum item d17701 identifies the pilot, vessel and landing place. No direct ratifier entry or original observation paperwork for this particular swim was inspected.

Dover.uk.com: Hassan Abdel Rehim, 16 August 1951

Checked 2026-10-31

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: Hassan Abdel Rehim

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover Museum archive d17701: Hassan Abd El Rehim and Eileen Fenton

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Hassan’s 1950 and 1951 pilot, escort vessel and landing places; 1952 Lundy swim.

Other events & swims

England to Lundy Island

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

Thursday, 31 July 1952 (event date)

Bristol Channel, England → Lundy Island

Completed the Bristol Channel swim to Lundy.

Published distance · 16 miles

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

The Channel Swimming Dover catalogue caption explicitly names Hassan and dates this 16-mile completion to 31 July 1952, immediately after detailing his Channel races. It supplies no elapsed time or precise mainland departure place.

Channel Swimming Dover: Eileen Fenton with Hassan Abd El Rehim

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Museum catalogue caption connects his Channel race identity to the 31 July 1952 England–Lundy swim.

Limitations · Retrospective museum caption; no elapsed time, observer report or precise departure point supplied. Image is not reproduced.

Career milestones

First successful solo

1948

Began a sequence of four successful Channel seasons.

Another Channel success

1949

Completed an England-to-France solo.

Daily Mail race winner

Tuesday, 22 August 1950

The published swim record dates his 10-hour-50-minute France-to-England victory to 22 August.

Third place in the Channel race

Thursday, 16 August 1951

Completed France-to-England in 12 hours 25 minutes.

Lundy Island swim

Thursday, 31 July 1952

Reached Lundy in the Bristol Channel.

Hall of Fame recognition

1966

Inducted as an Honor Swimmer of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Recordings & media

No reviewed recording is available for this entry.

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Hassan Abd el Rehim?: This profile includes 2 selected solo performances for Hassan Abd el Rehim. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Hassan Abd el Rehim’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim is recorded on Tuesday, 22 August 1950. The source does not establish whether that date means departure or arrival. Conflicting details are identified in the crossing record.
How long did Hassan Abd el Rehim’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 10 hours and 50 minutes. Published sources disagree about details of this swim; the crossing record explains the differences.

Biography sources

Reviewed sources

Channel Swimming Association: Hassan Abd el Rehim, 1950

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: Hassan Abdel Rehim

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover Museum archive d17701: Hassan Abd El Rehim and Eileen Fenton

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Hassan’s 1950 and 1951 pilot, escort vessel and landing places; 1952 Lundy swim. Museum catalogue caption connects his Channel race identity to the 31 July 1952 England–Lundy swim.

Limitations · Some durations and age differ from other records. The 1950 duration shown here is 10:49; CSA, IMSHOF and the individual Dover record agree on 10:50. Photo reproduction rights are not assumed. Retrospective museum caption; no elapsed time, observer report or precise departure point supplied. Image is not reproduced.

Dover.uk.com: Hassan Abdel Rehim athlete record

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover.uk.com: Hassan Abdel Rehim, 22 August 1950

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover.uk.com: Hassan Abdel Rehim, 16 August 1951

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover Museum: 1950s Channel swimming

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Latest source review 2026-10-31.