Mohammad Shamsuzzaman Arafat

Mohammad Shamsuzzaman Arafat (born 10 January, 1990; ), known colloquially as "Ironman Arafat," is a triathlete from Bangladesh. He is known for his participation and achievements in endurance sports, particularly in triathlons.

Early life & education Arafat born on 10 January 1990. He graduated from the Marketing Department of University of Dhaka. Arafat is employed as a deputy director at the Bangladesh Bank.

Career

Sports career Arafat undertook his first mountain climbing expedition in Khagrachari in 2010. At that time, Dhaka University's administration was forming a team for the Everest Mission. Arafat enrolled in a training camp, which trained around 150 participants for two months. Following the training, a group of seven individuals, including Arafat, were selected for the mission. However, Arafat eventually did not get to participate in that mission due to him not having a passport at that time.

Triathlon In 2017, Arafat attended the Ironman Malaysia. He completed the Ironman Malaysia in 12 hours and 43 minutes, including a 3.8-kilometer swim, 180-kilometer cycling, and 42-kilometer run. He has finished five full Ironman distance and five completions of the Ironman 70.3 distance. He came in 2nd place in his age group and overall 10th place in the Ironman Malaysia 2022 competition. In addition, he achieved the 2nd position in the Ironman 70.3 Goa, India, and 8th place overall. Arafat was awarded the All-World Athlete - Gold distinction by the Ironman All-World Athlete organization in 2022. 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Ironman World Championship, Berlin Marathon and Ironman Malaysia, respectively taking place in Finland, France, Germany and Malaysia.

In August 2023, Arafat achieved 2023 Ironman Gold All-World Athlete status for his performance during the 2022 racing season.

Swimming Arafat has swum across the Bangla Channel nine times in eight consecutive years.