Ishaak Helmi Born in July in 1901, Gizah, Helmi was the first Egyptian to cross the English Channel and the first to lead Egyptian swimming champions in the 1966 Capri-Naples race. Helmi is best known as the pioneer of long-distance swimming and the doyen of Egyptian swimmers. The British called him: "The Nile Pharaoh". He was awarded the Order of Excellence by King Fouad and the Order of Merit by President Anwar al-Sadat. Hemi died on November 5, 1980.
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