During the 24 Heures La Tuque race held over 24 hours on a warm July day and night in Quebec, Canada, numerous future inductees of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame were competing and racing in their prime years.

The competitors included Johan Schans of Holland, Horacio Iglesias of Argentina, Jon Erikson of the USA, Jan Van Scheyndel of Holland, Dennis Matuch of the USA, Diana Nyad of the USA, and Mervyn Sharp of England. Also, Mexican Olympic swimmer Raúl Villagómez Curiel, English Channel record setter Marwan Shedid (9 hours 17 minutes in 1976), 4-time English Channel swimmer Philip Gollop, and 8-time English Channel swimmer Thomas Hetzel also competed in the 2-person 24-hour professional relay race.

Among the giants of that era, a quiet, young female Egyptian swimmer Samia Mandour also competed and fared quite well for herself. Mandour’s smile lit up every room she entered and her seriously-minded intensity commanded respect. That year, she would finish third in the 1971 and 1972 World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation rankings behind IMSHOF Hall of Fame honorees Shadia El Ragab and Diana Nyad. The young Egyptian received the 1971 Greta Andersen Trophy from the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation for the best rookie year among female competitors.

Although her professional marathon swimming career was rather brief, her competitive career spanned from 1966 to 1974:

• won the female division in the 1966 44 km 3rd International Canal Suez race in Egypt in 16 hours
• second in the 1971 19 km Nile River Race in Egypt in 6 hours 51 minutes
• second among women in the 1971 28 km International Nasser competition in Egypt
• won the women’s division in the 1971 24 Heures La Tuque with Shadia El Rageb
• second among women in the 1971 29.8 km Aswan Dam race in Egypt in 9 hours 14 minutes
• second in the 1971 12.5-mile International Varna race in Bulgaria
• 12th overall, second among women, in the 1972 33.8 km Nile River Marathon race in Egypt in 10 hours 47 minutes
• won the women’s division in the 1972 24 Heures La Tuque with Shadia El Rageb
• ranked third among women in the 1972 World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation series
• won the women’s division of the 1973 24 Heures La Tuque with Shadia El Rageb
• third among women in the 1973 32 km Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in Canada finishing in 9 hours 33 minutes
• second among women in the 1974 29 km Suez Canal race in Egypt
• 12th overall, second among women, in the 1972 33.8 km Nile River Marathon in Egypt in 10 hours 46 minutes
• 9th overall, second among women, in the 1972 33.8 km Nile River Marathon in Egypt in 8 hours 35 minutes
• 13th overall, second among women, in the 1974 29 km Suez Swimming Marathon in 10 hours 12 minutes

1972 24 Heures La Tuque 2-person relay results

1. Johan Schans (Holland, 90 laps) and Horacio Iglesias (Argentina, 89 laps)
2. Jon Erikson (USA, 90 laps) and Raul Villagomez (Argentina, 82 laps)
3. Marwan Shedid (Egypt, 86 laps) and Jan Van Scheyndel (Holland, 84 laps)
4. Dennis Matuch (USA, 83 laps) and Diana Nyad (USA, 83 laps)
5. Carlos Aguirre (Argentina, 82 laps) and Marcello Guiscardo (Argentina, 81 laps)
6. Yvon Monpetit (Canada, 82 laps) and Yves Lavoie (Canada, 77 laps)
7. Mohammed Gamie (Egypt, 78 laps) and Tabii El Enen (Egypt, 77 laps)
8. Mahmoud Khamis (Syria, 82 laps) and Said Masri (Syria, 69 laps)
9. Angel Bernatene (Argentina, 75 laps) and Philip Gollop (England, 72 laps)
10. Sultan Kigab (Sudan, 72 laps) and Naste Jonceski (Yugoslavia, 66 laps)
11. Edward Bennett (Canada, 76 laps) and Hassan Abdeen (Canada, 60 laps)
12. Samia Mandour (Egypt, 68 laps) and Fausto Ramirez (Mexico, 63 laps)
13. Mervyn Sharp (England, 71 laps) and Thomas Hetzel (USA, 56 laps) 14. Michel Poirier (Canada, 66 laps) and Daniel Boyle (Canada, 59 laps)

1972 Arab Nile Marathon Swim Results

1. Ossama Rashad (Egypt) 8:19.16
2. Mahmoud Khamis (Syria) 8:28.16
3. Hani Hemat (Egypt) 8:32.53
4. Marwan Saleh (Syria) 8:33.50
5. Baher Al Hamid (Egypt) 8:51.10
6. Fares Al Rehim (Egypt) 8:52.22
7. Mohamed Gamie (Egypt) 9:01.08
8. Tabii El Enen (Egypt) 9:02.24
9. Abdel Latif El Basha (Egypt) 9:39.09
10. Abdel Latif Abou-Heif (Egypt) 10:15.55
11. Shadia El Rageb (Egypt) 10:23.36
12. Samia Mandour (Egypt) 10:46.52
13. Zoheir Saraffedine (Lebanon) 11:14.22

© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“