Meet Rami Fetyani. A college student at Fordham University in New York, Rami spends every vacation in Jeddah, swimming under his country’s flag and splashing his way toward victory.
At the age of six, it was nearly impossible to get Rami out of the water. But it wasn’t until he was 14 that he began training competitively for Jeddah’s Raytheon Seahawks. He swam with them for two years before moving to Lebanon where his swimming then took a backseat to his education.
But Rami couldn’t stay away from the water for long. After high school, he attended Lawrenceville — a prep school in New Jersey that is ranked number one in the region — in the hope of gaining a swimming scholarship at university.
It was during his time in New Jersey that Rami broke his first record at the school. He then continued swimming with the Division 1 swim team at Fordham University, where he is currently attending his third year.
With encouragement from his old Raytheon coach Ribhi Husseni, Rami continues to dedicate his time to swimming in the Kingdom during the summers and winter breaks. His talents were hard to ignore at the swim meets and almost instantly scouts began to chase him. He eventually signed with Ittihad and Saudi’s National Team, which he currently represents.
In November, Rami, along with his teammates, participated in an Asian meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, a great accomplishment for athletes anywhere. But his aspirations do not stop there. Rami graduates in 2010 — in time for the 2012 Olympics in London, in which he hopes to swim under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. So that’s Rami Fetyani. Saudi’s answer to Michael Phelps.
RAMI’S SWIM RECORD
- National Championships Western League, 2002 and 2003.
- Junior Olympics, 2003 (Gold Medal).
- Eastern Conference, 2006.
- Saudi Arabian National Championships, 2009 (won all 4 events he participated in).
- Participated with the Saudi Arabian National Team in the Outdoor - Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, 2009.