Although Egypt is well known for the large numbers of champions and athletes in many sports, we seem to only give most of our attention to football.
There are lots of talented athletes out there who compete in international competitions, win medals and cups, bringing back nothing but pride to their nation. But why aren’t these people getting the recognition they deserve?
Here are five Egyptian champs that you really should know about.
#1 Ihab Abdelrahman El-Sayed – Javelin
El Sayed is a proud a 30-year-old Egyptian track and field javelin thrower.
In 2015, El Sayed won 2nd place in Javelin World Championship, and the same year, he threw his personal best, earning the first place in the African Games.
#2 Caroline Maher – Taekwondo
Caroline is an international Egyptian taekwondo competitor, ranked third in the world. She has won more than 130 medals and cups in local and international competitions.
Maher was the first Egyptian, and Arab, woman to be inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2013.
Besides her athletic achievements, Maher is also the youngest member in the Egyptian parliament.
#3 Tarek Momen - Squash
Momen is one of the talented Egyptian athletes in the popular sport of squash, who reached a ranking of world No. 3.
In November 2019, Momen earned the Professional Squash Association’s (PSA) title, Men’s World Champion.
On a side note, Momen happens to be married to another squash world champion, Raneem El Welily.
#4 Manal Rostom - Runner and Mountain Climber
Manal was the first Egyptian woman to participate in the Great Wall of China Marathon in 2016.
Besides being a runner, Manal is also a mountain climber who was able to climb the two of the world’s highest summits; Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and Mount Elbrus, the highest in Europe.
Rostom is also the first Hijabi woman to be the face of Nike’s campaign, Dream Crazier.
#5 Sara Ahmed - Weightlifting
The 21-year-old Egyptian athlete managed to win the Olympic medal in weightlifting in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics when she was only 18. Sara is the first and youngest Egyptian woman to win such an honour.
Keep making us proud, you guys!
