Egypt's hammer thrower Hassan Abdel-Gawad (Photo: EAF)
Egyptian hammer thrower Hassan Abdel-Gawad has qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this August with a 78.35 through in a qualifying tournament in South Africa.
"Abdel-Gawad has accomplished a new personal record 78.35 in an Olympics qualifying tournament in South Africa," the Egyptian Athletic Federation (EFA) revealed in a press release late Tuesday.
The 32-year-old Ittihad El-Shorta athlete becomes the third athletics Egyptian representative in Rio, alongside the Ahly duo; hammer thrower Mostafa El-Gamal and javelin thrower Ehab Abdel-Rahman.
Away from football--the country's most popular sport--Egypt has gained a series of qualification tickets into Rio to compete in many sports including boxing, swimming, diving, rowing, pentathlon, judo, shooting, volleyball, and handball.
Egypt has a good chance to make a new medals record in this Olympics, especially in athletics with the three athletes mentioned and promising swimmers Farida Osman, Ahmed Akram, Marawan El-Kammash and many others.
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