Egypt’s Ahmed Al-Gendi became the first African athlete to win an Olympic modern pentathlon gold medal when he finished first at Paris 2024. The 24-year-old thus jumped a step higher in the sport after claiming the silver medal in Tokyo 2020.

Al-Gendi had been suffering from shoulder injuries since Tokyo. He told the media in Paris that he was nervous after falling off his horse in the semi-finals but was faultless in the show jumping final. “I was in doubt and under stress and pressure. We were planning for it after the riding and we corrected the mistakes.”

In Paris, Al-Gendi also made more history, setting a new 1,555-point world record and a new 1,516-point Olympic record.

The super pentathlete had a 17-second start for the laser run, which is the combined event running and shooting, the final phase of the competition. In the laser run, he took the lead from the beginning and received no opposition from his fellow competitors, winning by 13 seconds over Japan’s Taishu Sato and Italy’s Giorgio Malan who claimed the bronze.

Al-Gendi was to receive LE5 million in prize money.

This was the last time to see the modern pentathlon in the Olympic Games in this format. The equestrian phase will be replaced by an obstacle course starting from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

WEIGHTLIFTER SORRY: Egyptian weightlifter Sara Ahmed Samir upgraded her Olympic status by winning the silver medal in the 81 kg weightlifting event in Paris. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Samir claimed the bronze medal.

Happy she was, yet she went into tears, but this time they weren’t tears of joy but of sadness as she was targeting the gold medal. Samir then took to social media to apologise to fans, media and officials for not getting the gold. “My target was the gold, I really wanted to win the gold, I did my best but couldn’t. Sorry.”

The 26-year-old Samir lifted a total 268 kg, 117 kg in the snatch and 151 in the clean and jerk, thus finishing second with the gold medal going to Norway’s Solfrid Eila Amena Koanda who set an Olympic record by lifting 275 kg-121 kg in the snatch and 154 kg in the clean and jerk. Ecuador’s Neisi Patricia Dajomes Barrera secured the bronze with a total lift of 267 kg, lifting 122 kg in the snatch and 145 kg in the clean and jerk.

The sensational Samir, the 2022 world champion, suffered a setback in her third snatch attempt at 119 kg after successful lifts of 113 kg and 117 kg in her initial two attempts. She managed a successful first clean and jerk at 146 kg but fell short in her final attempt at 155 kg.

For her silver medal, Samir was to receive LE4 million in prize money.

“I promise you the gold in the next Olympics, Los Angeles 2028,” Samir said.

Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi named a youth centre in Ismailia, Samir’s home town, after her. The centre is now known as Sara Samir Youth Centre.

Samir ended the year by winning two silver medals in the 2024 IWF World Championship held in Bahrain. That increased her tally of world medals to 13: seven gold, four silver and two bronze, an historic record for African and Arab women weightlifters.

Egypt’s first medal in Paris was won by Mohamed Al-Sayed in fencing, a bronze.

MORE MONEY: While the Paris Games were taking place, the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) significantly increased the prize money for medal winners.

Head of the EOC Yasser Idris announced in a statement that gold medalists will now receive LE5 million. Silver and bronze medalists will get LE4 million and LE3 million respectively. In addition, each medalist will receive a 1,000 euro bonus and a luxury watch.

The decision came after Egypt secured one gold, one silver and one bronze.

RETROACTIVE BRONZE: Egyptian weightlifter Tarek Yehia Abdel-Azim received his bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics following the reallocation of medals.

Abdel-Azim’s bronze medal, at a ceremony held at Champions Park near the Eiffel Tower, came after Russian lifter Apti Aukhadov was disqualified and stripped of his silver medal.

This led to Abdel-Azim, who originally placed fourth, being elevated to third place and awarded the bronze.

Competing in the 85 kg weight class at the 2012 London Olympics, Abdel-Azim lifted 160 kg in the snatch and 205 kg in the clean and jerk, finishing fourth.

Aukhadov was suspended in November 2012 after a lengthy appeal process.

Abdel-Azim had requested that the International Olympic Committee present his bronze medal during the Paris 2024 Olympics. He received it before the start of the weightlifting event.

WRESTLER WRONGED: During the Paris Olympics, French authorities released Egyptian Olympic wrestler Mohamed ‘Kesho’ Ibrahim after allegations of sexual assault were dropped due to lack of evidence, the EOC said.

The 26-year-old wrestler had been arrested for allegedly “groping a woman in a bar” as stated by the Paris prosecutors’ office.

In a statement released at the time, the EOC said video footage from the incident scene showed no assault. “The investigations were dropped as video footage from the cameras surrounding the incident did not show any assault by the player towards the woman,” the statement said.

According to the EOC, after his release, Kesho headed directly from the police station to Charles de Gaulle Airport on a flight to Egypt. The wrestler, bronze medalist at the Tokyo Games, was defeated by Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov in the 67 kg Greco-Roman wrestling event at the Paris Games.

The EOC suspended Kesho after his arrest, initiating an investigation into the allegations. The EOC ethics panel also focussed on investigating the player’s failure to return to the Egyptian camp on time after being granted permission to watch the final in his weight category, the EOC statement added.

In Tokyo three years ago, Egypt took home six medals — a gold, a silver and four bronze — for the country’s biggest haul at one Games.

Shortly before the Paris Olympics began, Minister Sobhi predicted that Egypt would collect from six to 10 medals. The final tally was only three.

On the bright side, Egypt finished in 52nd place out of 206 countries. Only 91 countries won medals and Egypt was one of them.

Egypt sent its biggest Olympic contingent to date: 164 athletes, the biggest in Africa and the Arab world.

It also spent reportedly LE1.7 billion ($36.6 million) over the last three years following the Tokyo Olympics on training, equipment, many foreign coaches, and other resources necessary for the build-up.

MEDAL WAIT: For nearly a week during the 11-day Paralympics staged in Paris after the Olympic Games, Egypt kept waiting for its first medal, a delay that weighed heavily on the entire squad. After the country’s performance at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where Egypt secured seven medals (five silver and two bronze) they were determined to add more, including the missing gold, to their collection.

In the end, Egypt won seven medals in Paris: two gold, two silver and three bronze.

Powerlifting marked the start of the haul and the turning point. Egypt clinched a gold medal on the first day of the event, followed by another gold on the second, bringing immense joy and pride.

The first gold in Paris came as a surprise. Mohamed Al-Menyawi, a first-time Paralympic participant, made history by becoming the first Egyptian dwarf to win a medal in powerlifting. Competing in the 59 kg category, Al-Menyawi’s remarkable achievement exceeded expectations and added a golden moment to Egypt’s Paralympic journey. He lifted 201 kg to beat his Chinese competitor.

Rehab Ahmed proved that the third time’s the charm. After winning silver in her first two Paralympic Games, the Egyptian powerlifter finally tasted gold in Paris.

A four-time world champion, Ahmed made a statement right in her first attempt in the women’s up to 55 kg final. The 117 kg-lift would have been enough to secure gold but she bettered that with a 121 kg-mark in the second round.

Mohamed Al-Elfat regained the silver he won in London 2012 with an effort of 224 kg in his fifth Paralympic Games.

Fatma Mahrous collected the silver medal in the 67 kg weight category after lifting 139 kg.

The two bronze medals were collected by Safaa Hassan in the 79 kg weight category and Nadia Fekri in the over 86 kg. Hassan lifted 139 kg while Fekri lifted 145 kg. Fekri was the flag bearer in the closing ceremony together with sitting volleyball player Hossam Massoud.

In sitting volleyball, Egypt won the bronze medal after beating Germany in one of the most difficult rallies in the sport in Paris. Egypt had ended in second place in the World Cup in Cairo but was absent in Tokyo after winning bronze in Rio 2016.

It marked Egypt’s third Paralympic bronze in the sport, their first coming in Athens 2004.

Fatma Omar, the legendary Egyptian powerlifter who retired recently, had been chosen to open an evening session of the Paris powerlifting competition to honor her achievements. Competing in the -56 kg category, Omar was a dominant power in her sport, winning gold in her event in four Summer Paralympics.

Following the end of the Games, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi extended his congratulations to the country’s Paralympic champions. “Your achievements have been a bright mark for Egypt and a testament that Egyptians are always capable of facing challenges and overcoming obstacles. Truly, your determination and persistence are a source of pride for the people of this great nation,” Al-Sisi posted on his official accounts on social media.

In Paris, Egypt finished 41st in the medals table. Egypt’s best performance in a Paralympics was 30 medals in Atlanta 1996, including eight gold. It was Egypt’s 14th appearance at the Summer Paralympics since its official debut in 1972.

TERRIBLE START: In football, Egypt got off to the worst of starts in 2024 when, in January, they lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo 8-7 on penalties, knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the round of 16 in the Ivory Coast. The match had ended 1-1 after extra time. The early exit was a big blow for the record seven-time champions who lacked injured talisman Mohamed Salah.

Egypt were concussed again in August when they were humiliated by Morocco 6-0 in the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics. Prior to that match, Egypt had an impressive run in the tournament, defeating Spain, Paraguay and Uzbekistan, only to lose 3-1 against hosts France in the semi-finals.

It was Egypt’s first-ever chance of winning a medal in the Olympic football event. It has now lost the bronze medal match for the third time after 1928 in Stockholm and 1964 in Tokyo.

But Egypt rebounded towards the tail end of the year under new coach Hossam Hassan, topping Group A in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. With four matches played and six to go, Egypt have 10 points, four more than second place Guinea-Bissau. The group winner will directly qualify for the World Cup, and the runner-up could potentially compete in the second round to advance to the inter-confederation playoffs. Egypt have qualified for the World Cup on three occasions, 1934, 1990, and 2018, never winning a match, losing five and drawing two.

They also clinched qualification for the 2025 AFCON tournament which will take place in Morocco. After an impressive showing in the earlier rounds, they earned maximum points in their first four matches, qualifying in November with two games to spare.

AHLY SUPREME: In club football, Egyptian powerhouse Ahly reigned supreme. In May, they were pronounced kings of African club football following their TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final 1-0 win over Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis at a packed-to-the-rafters Cairo International Stadium. The win followed a goalless stalemate in Rades a week earlier.

The Ahly juggernaut under Swiss coach Marcel Koller showed no mercy. In March, Ahly were crowned Egyptian Cup winners for a record-extending 39th time after securing a 2-0 victory over bitter Cairo rivals Zamalek in the final in Riyadh, the first domestic cup final to be held outside of Egypt.

In August, they sealed a record-extending 44th Egyptian Premier League title. The Red Devils’ triumph extended their record as the most successful club in both Egyptian and African football history.

The victory march continued in October when Ahly secured their 15th Egyptian Super Cup title, defeating Zamalek 7-6 on penalties following a goalless draw in regular time in Abu Dhabi.

At year’s end, Ahly were to face Mexican side Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup semi-finals with a possible final date with European Champions Real Madrid.

And Ahly will have the distinction of playing in the opening game of next year’s Club World Cup against Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team in the US. The two teams are part of Group A that will also feature Palmeiras of Brazil and Porto of Portugal. This new format of the Club World Cup, with 32 teams, is a departure from the previous seven-team structure.

Ahly’s performance was not flawless. In September, Zamalek triumphed over Ahly in the African Super Cup. The White Knights emerged victorious in a penalty shootout, winning 4-3 after both teams finished regulation time in a 1-1 draw at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

If Ahly won the African Champions League, Zamalek were close, taking African club football’s secondary competition, the Confederation Cup, after a dramatic 1-0 win over RS Berkane of Morocco in the second leg. Zamalek had headed into the return fixture at Cairo International Stadium trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Morocco a week earlier.

On 11 December, Zamalek’s Portuguese coach Jose Gomes suddenly announced his departure. The 54-year-old coach took Zamalek’s helm in February, leading them to 27 wins, nine draws and 11 losses.

On the day of Gomes’ exit, Hani Abu Reeda returned as president of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) for a four-year term. A former president of the EFA from 2016-2019, the 71-year-old FIFA Council member and CAF Executive Committee member won the EFA elections in December with his whole slate, which includes eight members, by acclamation.

Egypt’s FC Masar made history at the 2024 African Women’s Champions League in Morocco, claiming the bronze medal in their tournament debut. The team, a product of the Right to Dream Academy, edged out Nigeria’s Edo Queens 4-3 on penalties in a thrilling third-place playoff after the match ended goalless in regulation time at Stade Ben Mohamed Al-Abdi in Al-Jadida in November.

TRAGEDY STRIKES TWICE: A double tragedy struck the country’s football community in 2024. On 6 July Ahmed Refaat died at the age of 31. Refaat had suffered a cardiac arrest during a league match against Ittihad of Alexandria on 11 March. He received medical attention on the field before losing consciousness for several days. The Modern Sport forward was hospitalised in Alexandria before being transferred to Cairo for further treatment on 25 March. He was discharged on 11 April but continued receiving treatment while using a pacemaker. Refaat’s final public appearance was on TV MBC Masr 2 on 23 June. The cause of death was not officially disclosed but it was believed to be related to the heart complications he suffered during the year.

On 19 November Mohamed Shawki, who played for second-tier club Kafr Al-Sheikh, also passed away after collapsing on the pitch. Shawki, 29, was playing in his team’s league game against Kazazeen before falling to the ground after a sudden heart attack.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 26 December, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly