After playing a key role in the recent success of Egypt's swimming team in an outstanding season, the country’s best-ever swimmer Ahmed Akram will be on the radar at the Rio Olympics.
In Brazil, Akram will be setting his sights on winning a medal and making it to the Olympics hall of fame, especially after registering Egypt's best-ever performance at the 2015 FINA World Championships last August, finishing fourth in the 1,500m event.
"My main target in Rio is to try to make the finals in the 1,500m freestyle. You never know what will happen in that race. There are a lot of great swimmers in the 1,500 and it will be hard to make it to the finals, so everyone has to be their very best," Akram told Ahram Online in an interview just days before the prestigious event.
Egypt’s team made a huge surge at the World Championships, breaking 11 national records, with Akram and female swimmer Farida Osman being named Egypt’s best swimmers.
The 20-year-old Akram was the first-ever Egyptian to qualify for the men's 1,500m final at the World Championships. He finished fourth with 14:53.66m, 2.58 seconds behind third-placed Ryan Cochrane of Canada – a bronze and silver Olympic medalist in 2008 and 2012 – and 14 seconds behind winner Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy.
Egypt's golden swimmer also finished ninth in the 800m freestyle and 10th in the 400m freestyle, breaking two national records.
Just one month later, Egypt’s success continued in the multi-sport All-Africa Games in Congo with the Egyptian team ending the swimming competition in second place with 41 medals (11 gold, 18 silver, 12 bronze), 13 behind leaders South Africa.
Egypt's superb results saw Akram win four gold medals in the 400m freestyle (3,48.06), the 800m freestyle (7,55.36), the 1,500m freestyle (15,11.68) and the 200m butterfly (1,58.87 ) contests.
In 2016, Akram's prominent achievement was winning the gold medal in the men’s 1,650 yard freestyle final at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships, held in February at Columbia, Missouri. He came in first with a 14:35.49, breaking his previous personal and university record by 11 seconds.
At the same event, Akram won a silver medal in the men’s 500-yard freestyle final finishing in the second position with a 4:13.48.
Early shining
Akram’s success story began early at the 2012 African Swimming Championships when he won the gold medal at the 200m fly in 2,04.92.
He has been on the rise since 2013 after shining at the World Junior Championships in both the 800 and 1,500 freestyles. In the 800 he came in at fifth place (8,02.88), while in the 1,500 he came in eighth (15,24.00).
He made his breakthrough by winning the gold at the 2014 Youth Olympics in the 800m freestyle (7,54:29) making him the first-ever Egyptian to win the top accolade.
Being away of home for months, as he is currently a student at the University of South Carolina, Akram insists that training in the US is the same as in Egypt.
“The excellent preparation by the national team’s coach, Sherif Habib, is the secret behind my success in Russia. He has been my coach for more than two years now and I love working with him,” Akram explained.
Akram hopes to follow in the footsteps of his role model, Tunisia great Oussama Mellouli, who won a host of world titles including a gold medal in the 1,500m in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the bronze in the 2012 London Olympics.
“I think because he competes in the same race [the 1,500m], Mellouli is a role model for me and I hope I can make similar achievements,” Akram told Ahram Online.
Akram added that he is never concerned about the guy in the next lane because he is a man on a mission.
“All competitors are the same to me. I don’t have in mind a main rival or opponent, I just focus on myself and my work to accomplish my goals.”
Achievements:
Gold medal in the 200m Fly at the 2012 African Swimming Championships
Gold medal in the 800 m freestyle at the 2014 Youth Olympics
Fourth place in the men's 1,500m freestyle final at the 2015 World Championships
Gold medal in the 400m freestyle at the 2015 multi-sport All-Africa Games in Congo
Gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2015 multi-sport All-Africa Games in Congo
Gold medal in the 1,500m freestyle at the 2015 multi-sport All-Africa Games in Congo
Gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the 2015 multi-sport All-Africa Games in Congo
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