Zakaria Naji Lamrani, 30, is a Moroccan doctor specializing in cardiology who has lived in Senegal for 4 years. His passion for mountaineering drives him to want to climb the seven highest mountains of the seven continents. And erect the flags of his country of heart (Morocco) and adoption (Senegal).
After having succeeded in hoisting the two flags of Morocco and Senegal, on September 01, 2022, on the roof of the African continent, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) in Tanzania, the Moroccan mountaineer, doctor Zakaria Naji Lamrani, succeeded, a few days ago, to climb the summit of Mount Elbrus (in Russia), the roof of Europe. Elbrus (5.642 m), the colossal snowy peak of the Greater Caucasus located on the border between Russia and Georgia and which is among the most difficult in the world, is the highest peak in the Caucasus and in Europe. Aged 30, resident in Senegal for 4 years and cardiologist at the Dalal Jamm hospital in Dakar, Zakaria Naji Lamrani, a mountain lover dedicated his achievement to his native Morocco and his host country, Senegal .
Coming to Senegal to pursue a specialization in cardiology, Zakaria Lamrani immediately fell in love with what he now calls his country. “By waving the flags of two brotherly countries, Morocco and Senegal, at the top of Elbruz, I wanted to express my gratitude and my pride in belonging to Morocco, my native country, my homeland and my land, and to Senegal, a country very hospitable who welcomed me with open arms and adopted me at all levels and whom I consider to be my second home”, confided to the MAP Naji Lamrani who obtained his diploma in general medicine at the faculty of medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca.
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It must be said that in recent days, the Moroccan mountaineer has been asked from all over the continent for interviews. To our colleagues from Sport News Africa, he says he wants to create mountaineering vocations among the Senegalese. He who has so much “Horror to hear that it’s a white man’s sport”. “I want other Senegalese to climb mountains. I hate that people say that mountaineering is a white man’s sport. You have to let yourself be tempted by discovery. Why not a first team of Senegalese mountaineers on Mount Everest? Hoisting the flag of Senegal at the top of these mountains is a mark of patriotism and belonging and recognition towards my 2nd home, Senegal. I am satisfied with the image of a successful integration that I convey. I am an ambassador for both countries, one man for two peoples. I don’t come just to get my diploma but also to leave my mark. It is this message that I would like to convey. It is for the humanity of the Senegalese that I have this feeling of gratitude”, the young mountaineer from Taounate, noting that this is the first time that the Senegalese flag has been hoisted at the top of Elbruz.
This young doctor, driven by unlimited motivation, chose a sport unlike any other, he turned to extreme sport for which challenges are one of the main ingredients. “First of all, sport has been an integral part of my daily life since my childhood, he said, believing that” being a mountaineer is not the result of chance but it is a lifestyle “, he told MAP. “It’s a family story, because the grandparents on the maternal and paternal sides have mountain origins, and whoever says mountain origin necessarily means ascent”, he explained. “My father climbed his first mountain at the age of 11, which was more than 1500m in his home village in the province of Taounate”, he recalled, noting that it is “d ‘a passion that you have to know how to nurture’. “Arrived in Senegal, the idea of climbing the highest peak of the African continent surfaced and then why not follow in the footsteps of the greatest mountaineer in history Reinhold Messner by climbing the seven highest mountains”, continued Zakaria Naji Lamrani.
Succeeding in this challenge can only be achieved through good preparation. “Throughout the year I prepared myself by taking ice baths, fasting and running long distances. I climbed nine mountains in Morocco, over 4,000m in three days,” he said.
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Responding to a question from the MAP on the impact of mountaineering on his professional life, Dr. Naji Lamrani considered that it is a question of organization. “As a doctor, I devote all my time to the sick and there is only my leave during which I can climb mountains, generally in August,” he said. Returning to the difficulties that the mountaineer might face, he said that there are objective dangers of natural origin and also subjective dangers of human origin due to several causes, in particular the lack of training, equipment used not adequate, wrong choice of route, panic, overconfidence. “I climbed this mountain on September 17, it was -33 degrees, a wind speed that reached 70 km/h, and very difficult or even impossible vision at 3 meters, we were stuck for 9 hours in a snowstorm. .. “, related the mountaineer to the MAP. He also explained that altitude, cold, wind, sunshine can also be pathological risk factors, adding that a drop in atmospheric pressure at altitude can cause hypoxia and the famous acute mountain sickness ( MAM), lack of acclimatization and a progressive ascent. “The cold in association with the wind can cause hypothermia, the solar radiation increased by the altitude and the reflective power of the snow can cause snow blindness, not to mention the possibility of tendonitis, sprains, fractures, tears muscles, hypoglycaemia…. “, he continued, believing that it is necessary to show common sense, know-how, patience and to listen to the mountain to limit the risks inherent in altitude.
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Regarding his future plans, he indicated that following having managed to climb the two highest peaks of Africa and Europe, (Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus), he intends, taking as a reference the Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, climb the five highest remaining mountains namely, Mount Aconcagua (6961 m) roof of South America, Mount Denali (6190 m) roof of North America ( Alaska ), Mount Vinson ( 4892 m) roof of Antarctica, as well as Pyramid of Carstenz (4884 m), roof of Oceania. “Finally, I plan to climb Mount Everest (8849 m) soon, roof of Asia and the world and hoist the two sister flags of Morocco and Senegal”, he assured.