Saudi women are shattering stereotypes time and again, and this time it's in sports.
Saudi dentist Mariam Saleh Binladen just broke a new record after becoming the first person to swim across the Dubai Creek and Dubai Water Canal.
Binladen's journey began on Friday and ended nine hours and ten minutes later, when she completed the 24-kilometer marathon.
"I am thrilled and delighted to become the first person to complete a 24km swim along the wonderful, yet challenging, Dubai Water Canal," said Binladen, according to The National.
The challenge was held in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Maritime City Authority, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority and the Dubai Police and Marine Rescue.
Binladen started her journey at the Dubai creek entrance in Al Shindagha and ended it at the Al Ghubaiba station.
"It was a very challenging experience indeed, given that my preparation time was extremely short, barely one month of preparations to make this event happen," she added.
This isn't the first time Binladen breaks a record
In 2016, she became the first woman, and the third person in recent history, to successfully swim 101 miles (162.5 km) of the Thames River in the United Kingdom.
Aiming to inspire more women to participate in athletics and to raise awareness about the plight of Syrian refugees, Binladen completed the endurance swim over 10 days.
"I wanted to show that a young woman from Saudi Arabia can achieve a lifelong ambition, whilst at the same time raise awareness to bigger causes, particularly the plight of thousands of suffering Syrian orphan refugees," said Binladen, according to PR Newswire.
Swimming is not all she's doing
Binladen has done her fair share of humanitarian work over the years.
She started the "Dr. Mariam Dental Clinic" in Jordan's Al Azraq camp - providing thousands of refugees (55,000 refugees reside in the camp) with free dental care -- the first-of-its-kind facility in the region.
"Many of these children have no family, no support network, no one to care for them. As a young woman from the Middle East, I was moved to do all I can to help those in need.
The dental clinic is a necessary, but also a wonderful facility for the orphaned children in Al-Azraq Refugee Camp. As a dentist from the region, I am humbled to see something so close to my heart open its doors to those in need,” she said, according to Arab News.