Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
As Egypt awaits its first medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the spotlight will shift to its powerlifters who are set to commence their pursuit of possible gold. Today (Thursday 5 September), as Al-Ahram Weekly goes to print, Egyptian powerlifters Inas Al-Gebali in the 41kg weight category and Taha Adel in 52kg will begin their medal quests.
In sitting volleyball, Egypt’s Mohamed Abul-Yazeid delivered a stellar performance, scoring 15 points to lead his team to a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan. The win secured Egypt a spot in the semi-finals where it will face Iran, the reigning world champions. Abul-Yazeid’s performance included 10 attacks, three blocks, and two service aces, with support from captain Hesham Al-Shwikh, who added 11 points from attacks. Despite Kazakhstan’s Perdebay Namuratov’s impressive 26 points, Egypt’s strong net defence and efficient play ensured the win.
Egypt was placed in Pool A where it defeated hosts France 3-0 but lost to European champions Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1, finishing second in the pool.
In rowing, Egyptian duo Ali Al-Zeini and Marwa Abdel-Aal achieved a historic 10th place in the PR3 MIX2X mixed double sculls event. It marked the first-ever Paralympic participation for Egyptian rowing, making their achievement particularly significant. The pair competed in Final B, finishing fourth with a time of 8 minutes and 48 seconds, outpacing Thailand after a competitive race against strong teams including the United States, Mexico and India. Their qualification followed a gold medal win at the African Para Rowing Championship in Tunisia in October 2023 and a bronze medal at the World Para Rowing Cup in Switzerland in May this year.
In athletics, Karim Abdel-Tawab finished seventh in the 100m sprint with a time of 11.96 seconds, narrowly missing out on the gold, which was won with a time of 11.12 seconds.
In swimming, Ziad Tarek finished eighth place in the 50-metre freestyle, marking a significant milestone for Paralympic swimming in his debut. He also ended up in eighth place in the 200-metre freestyle, setting a new African record.
In taekwondo, Salma Ali claimed fifth place in the 52kg weight category. Although she tied with Georgia’s Ana Japaritze, the referee awarded the win to the Georgian. Ali had previously defeated Kenya’s Tency Obinyo 12-3 in the round of 16 but lost to Mongolia’s Sornjav Olymbayar 7-5 in the quarter-finals. She then beat Kazakhstan’s Milana Krasavitskaya 8-1 in the repechage round. Ali expressed profound “disappointment and frustration” over the loss but remained determined to pursue gold at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
In table tennis, Sayed Youssef Sika secured a 3-0 victory against his Brazilian opponent in the round of 16, advancing to the quarter-finals in the men’s singles.
In boccia, Hanaa Allam triumphed over Ukraine’s Natalia Konenko with an 8-1 victory in her second preliminary match in the women’s singles. Competing in Group B, Allam faced players from Canada, Ukraine and Malaysia, marking the best African achievement in boccia. Allam was congratulated by the African boccia president for her performance. Egypt’s boccia team qualified for Paris for the first time with two athletes, Allam and Mahmoud Al-Nabawi, who secured their place by winning the gold medal in the doubles event at the 2023 African Regional Championship in Cairo.
A total of 54 athletes are representing Egypt across 10 sports: goalball, athletics, rowing, powerlifting, boccia, canoe/kayak, swimming, sitting volleyball, table tennis, and taekwondo.
Notably, four disciplines qualified for the Games for the first time in Egyptian history: rowing, canoe/kayak, boccia, and an athlete with an intellectual disability in table tennis.
In the 28 August to 8 September Paris Paralympics, which involves athletes with a range of disabilities, 4,000 athletes from around the world are taking part in 549 medal events across 22 sports.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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