Adam Maraana

Adam Maraana was born in 2003 in Haifa

Adam Maraana was born on 7 July 2003 in Haifa, where he grew up. His father, Nazi, is a Muslim Arab citizen of Israel who manages a beach in the Bat Galim neighborhood. His mother, Alexandra, was born in Russia and teaches piano.

He began swimming at age 3 at the beach where his father worked. He studied at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa. He later served in the Israeli Navy, though he could have received an exemption from the draft.

Maraana swims for Maccabi Haifa and trains at the Wingate Institute with coach Carmel Levitan. He won bronze in the 100 meter backstroke at the 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival in Baku. In 2022 he became Israeli champion in the 100 meter backstroke, and in 2023 he won bronze medals at the European U-23 Championships in Dublin.

In June 2024 at the Israeli Olympic Trials, he swam the 100 meter backstroke in 53.60, matching the Israeli record of Yakov Toumarkin. The time qualified him for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he represented Israel. He became the first Israeli of Arab descent at the Olympics since Rifaat Turk in 1976.