Yousef Al Shatti
Kuwait Naval Special Forces Officer, Guinness World Record Holder
A year after Yousef became the first Arabic mountaineer to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, we caught up with him to discover his past and what led him to be so passionate about people pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Born and raised in Kuwait, Yousef had a usual childhood playing football and keeping fit. His curiosity into fitness led him to explore bodybuilding as a teenager, competing in multiple competitions and winning gold medals in physique categories.
He then joined military college in Kuwait where he secured his bachelor’s degree and became an Engineer Office in the Kuwait Navy. After completing the Marine Corps and Navy SEAL training in the U.S, Yousef had acquired the skills to be Staff Colonel Engineer in the Kuwait Naval Special Forces - a role he holds today.
During his time in the military, he started training as a professional athlete, becoming a World Champion in Obstacle Course racing in 2019, finishing 1st place in the Military Category of the Texas Ironman 2022, and achieved the fastest national Kuwaiti record in the Kazakhstan Ironman, which qualified him for the Kona World Championships as the 1st Kuwaiti athlete ever in history. After this achievement he stared to aim higher, so in February 2022 (winter) he swam the Kuwaiti Bay which is 21km in 9 hours and 44min to become the Guinness World Record title holder for the fastest swim in the bay. With this passion of pushing yourself to the limit and overcoming challenges, Yousef began to look to high altitude mountains for his next projects. He became the first Arab to stand on the summit of Ama Dablam at 6,812m, before climbing Mount Everest without oxygen via the south summit - the 1st Arab in history to reach this incredible achievement.
This is all whilst running his own gym and supporting local community members to improve their physical and mental health to become more motivated and positive in their lives.
We asked Yousef what his reasons are for dedicating his life to taking on these challenges, and he said “To inspire others to be positive in life and to show them that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE…and that’s where my key words come from, WHY NOT. Why not challenge ourselves to reach the impossible in life and make it possible.”
“Consistency and continuity are key factors to achieve your goals despite the bad times you go through, and leading (for example) is the best way to send a positive message to our community and always be a giver without expecting anything in return.”
We asked Yousef what his reasons are for dedicating his life to taking on these challenges, and he said “ To inspire others to be positive in life and to show them that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE…and that’s where my key words come from, WHY NOT. Why not challenge ourselves to reach the impossible in life and make it possible. ”
“ Consistency and continuity are key factors to achieve your goals despite the bad times you go through, and leading (for example) is the best way to send a positive message to our community and always be a giver without expecting anything in return. ”
We’re proud to nominate Yousef as a Luminox Everyday Hero for his commitment to showing what’s possible for the human body and being a positive influence on his local community and people globally to focus on what they want and achieve it.
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