Mariam Saleh Binladen, a Saudi dentist and human activist, has set a new record by swimming 24 km in the Dubai creek and channel in nine hours and 10 minutes – the first woman to achieve this feat. This is the second women's swimming record set by her after being the first woman to cross 101 miles of the River Thames in London in June last year. The Dubai swimming experience was organized in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council and sponsored by the Dubai Maritime City Authority. It came as part of Binladen's drive to raise awareness of the plight of Syrian orphan refugees, as well as to encourage more women from around the world to participate in sports. In August last year, Binladen successfully crossed the English Channel, covering a distance of 21 miles, to become the first Saudi to make this historic achievement. In 2016, Binladen participated in two grand swimming tournaments in the United Kingdom. She was also the first Saudi women to complete the Hellespont Swim in Turkey in 2015.
