Amro Al-Wir and former UF teammate Khader Baqlah will be two of the three swimming competitors representing Jordan.
Gators In Olympic Games: Amro Al-Wir
Saturday, July 17, 2021 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Chris Harry, Olympics
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jordan will send two swimmers to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Both will have ties to the Florida Gators.
UF sophomore Amro Al-Wir, the Jordanian record holder in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter breast stroke events, will compete in the latter. The other half of the team, Talita Baqlah, qualified in the 50-meter women's freestyle event, doing so for her third straight Olympics. Baqlah did not swim collegiately, but her younger brother did.
In fact, Khader Baqlah was an 11-time All American and four-time All-Southeastern Conference selection at Florida from 2017-20, setting then-program records in the 400 and 800 freestyle on his way to helping guide UF to four Southeastern Conference titles.
Baqlah won't swim in Japan, but he'll no doubt be pulling for sister Talita, now 25, as well as his former UF teammate and fellow countryman.
Khadar Baqlah in action during his 11-time time All-America career with the Gators. (Photo: Justin Casterline/UAA Communications)
