Paralympic swimmer Abbas Karimi, born without arms, poised to be first refugee medalist at Tokyo Games

Drowning in his own anger at the world for being born without arms, Abbas Karimi said the water saved him. During his childhood growing up in Afghanistan, the 24-year-old was always getting into fights with bullies who'd mock him for his disability. 

"There was a lot of rejection and judgement, people calling me armless," Karimi said of his childhood, speaking to USA TODAY Sports. "I was a very angry kid. I was mad at the world and this life not being fair. I questioned why God created me this way." 

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