Mohamed Al-Sayed clinched the epee bronze in the Fencing Grand Prix in Italy while Abdel-Rahman Tolba won the foil bronze.
The 21-year-old Al-Sayed, the Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, had an exceptional run at the World Cup. He started the day by beating Ruben Derksen (Netherlands) 15-11 in round 64. In the round of 16, the Egyptian blanked Badim Sharlamov (Kazakhstan) 15-0 before edging out South Korean Taeyeang An in the round of 16, 9-8. In the quarter-finals Al-Sayed crushed Italian Gianpaolo Buzzacchino 15-6 to qualify for the semi-final and guarantee a medal. In the semi-final, though, Al-Sayed lost to the Hungarian Tibor Andrasfi and had to settle for the bronze medal.
On the other hand, Tolba, 17, took home the bronze medal after defeating Cheung Ka Long of Hong Kong, the world’s top-ranked player and the gold medalist at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, 15-12, in addition to defeating Buzzacchino.
Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi congratulated both players for their bronze medals at the championship held from 7 to 9 February. Sobhi praised both, describing them as “great” during the tournament, stressing that their achievements reflected “the great development witnessed by the Egyptian Fencing Federation on the international level”.
He said the continuous accomplishments of Egyptian fencers had taken Egypt to the highest levels, “confirming the ability of Egyptian athletes to compete strongly in major sporting events,” and stressing that the ministry “continues to provide all aspects of support to distinguished players to achieve more and raise the flag of Egypt in various tournaments”.
“The ministry will continue providing all the support needed for the Egyptian Fencing Federation and the players’ preparation, according to the latest training methods,” Sobhi said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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