Aquil Abdullah facts for kids
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| Birth name | Aquil ibn Michael X. Shumate | |||||||||||||
| Born | June 20, 1973 (age 51) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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Medal record
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Aquil Hashim Abdullah (born June 20, 1973) is a famous American rower. He made history in the sport of rowing. Aquil was the first African-American man to qualify for the Summer Olympics in rowing.
He also won the important Diamond Sculls race in 2000. This was at the famous Henley Royal Regatta. In 1996, he won a national championship. He was the first African-American man to do so in rowing. Aquil went to George Washington University. He even wrote a book called Perfect Balance.
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Aquil's Amazing Rowing Journey
Aquil Abdullah is a very talented rower. He achieved many great things.
Early Wins
In 1999, Aquil won a silver medal. This was in the single sculls event. It happened at the Pan-American Games.
In 2000, he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls. This is a top race for single sculls. He won it at the Henley Royal Regatta. Aquil was part of the U.S. World Championship Rowing Team in 2001. He just missed qualifying for the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was only 0.33 seconds too slow.
In 2002, he won the United States national rowing championship. He was the best in the single sculls event that year.
The 2004 Summer Olympics
Aquil teamed up with Henry Nuzum for the 2004 Olympics. They trained hard together. Their qualifying time was 6 minutes and 23.59 seconds.
Aquil and Henry made history. They were the first American men in 20 years to reach the Olympic final. This was in the double sculls event. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, they finished sixth in their race.
Aquil's Life Outside Rowing
Aquil Abdullah was born in Washington, DC. His birthday is June 20, 1973. He now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He works there as a software engineer.
Aquil went to Woodrow Wilson High School. This school was special. It was the only public school in DC with a rowing program. He played football first. But he started rowing in his last year of high school.
He earned a rowing scholarship. He went to George Washington University from 1992 to 1996. He studied physics there. Aquil also enjoys playing the saxophone.
Aquil was born with the name Aquil ibn Michael X. Shumate. His father changed their last name to Abdullah. This happened when Aquil was six years old. His father had converted to Islam. Aquil is now Catholic.
Aquil also worked with a group called Mandela Crew in Boston. This program helps young people. It introduces minority youths from Roxbury to the sport of rowing.
