Meet Nada Hafez: Egyptian athlete who competed at Paris Olympics 2024 while 7-months pregnant

By Gourav Samal

Gourav has been associated with Khel Now since 2023, drafting news and articles for the Indian Football and Indian Olympics desks.

Published at :July 31, 2024 at 6:32 PM

Modified at :July 31, 2024 at 6:32 PM

Meet Nada Hafez: Egyptian athlete who competed at Paris Olympics 2024 while 7-months pregnant

Hafez won a bronze medal in the individual event at the 2024 African Fencing Championships.

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez recently made it to the news when she took to her official Instagram account to declare about her being seven months pregnant while competing at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Nada, who previously appeared at 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, scripted an emotional note after her defeat in the table of 16 in the women’s individual sabre event in fencing. She wrote, “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!”

She even described how difficult it has been for her, both physically and emotionally while gearing for the mega event.

“My baby and I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical and emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the Round of 16!” she added.

She also thanked her husband for being a continuous support throughout the journey, as she stated, “I’m lucky to have shared the trust of my husband Ibrahim Ihab and that of my family to be able to come this far.”

At the end she talked about the pride of being an Olympian three times in her career. She said, “This specific Olympics was different; Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian one!”

Nada Hafez’s career

The 26-year-old Nada Hafez is an Egyptian fencer who found a place as a member of the Egyptian national senior fencing sabre women’s team in 2014.

In her career span of around 10 years, Nada has won one silver at the 2018 African Zonal Championship and two bronze medals, one each at the 2014 and 2019 African Zonal Championship.

Nada achieved some major laurels in 2024 when she won a bronze medal in the individual event and a gold medal in the team event at the 2024 African Fencing Championships.

Nada Hafez at Olympics

She represented her country for the first time at the 2016 Rio Olympics where her campaign ended at the 36th position. In the next edition, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she bettered her position and ended her journey at 29th position.

At the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, Nada started her campaign by defeating United States of America’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky by 15-13 in the table of 32. Unfortunately, she lost her next match in the table of 16 against South Korea’s Jeon Ha-young by 7-15.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram

Gourav Samal

Gourav has over six years of experience in journalism, where he has worked for various national and regional media houses. With a keen liking for Cricket and Football, he also knows a few other games.

Meet Nada Hafez: Egyptian athlete who competed at Paris Olympics 2024 while 7-months pregnant

Hafez won a bronze medal in the individual event at the 2024 African Fencing Championships.

Trending Indian Sports articles

Nada Hafez’s career

Nada Hafez at Olympics

Gourav Samal