Kayaking – Yara Shalaby leads a team to cross the Gulf of Aqaba

CAIRO – 28 November 2017: Yara Shalaby became the first rally driver in the country, but she decided to take a new challenge in a new sport.

On November 30, Yara Shalaby will lead a team of 15 Kayakers across the Gulf of Aqaba. The challenge will take them from Sinai to Jordan and back, for a total distance of 42 kilometres.

“I am not a professional kayaker but when I was young I had a dream to cross the sea. So I found a chance to do what I like through Kayak sports,” Yara said to Egypt Today.

This is not Yara's first time to kayak across the Gulf of Aqaba. Two years ago, she made her debut trip, along with four others from the Cairo Nile Kayak Club. They paddled for eight consecutive hours a distance of 20 kilometres across the sea against swirling currents and powerful winds, according to ‘Women of Egypt’ page on Facebook.

“We need to document the next Kayaking event in Guinness record as the first team to cross this way by Kayaks. There are, previously, some athletes who crossed this way but one round back by swimming but the current was with them and with no resistance,” she pointed to Egypt Today.

This year, the team will spend two days in Jordan before heading back. To prepare for the adventure, the team has been training every weekend for two months.

“The hardest part is really just having the stamina to keep going because you spend almost eight hours kayaking non-stop – if you stop for even five minutes, the current will drag you backwards and you lose ground, and of course the wind can also be crazy,” explained Yara, according to ‘Women of Egypt’ page on Facebook.

“Our sponsors for the next Kayak event are Orascom Hotels & Developments, Nutrifit and the media coverage for Cairoscene,” Yara revealed to Egypt Today.
Wait for the full interview with Yara Shalaby in the next edition of Egypt Today magazine.