The Egyptian delegation, the largest in the country's history at 164 athletes, including 16 substitutes, made headlines with their remarkable achievements.

Ahram Online reports Egypt's highs and lows following the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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Ahmed Elgendy

Despite entering Paris with lingering concerns about his fitness, Ahmed Elgendy delivered a dazzling performance to capture the gold medal in Modern Pentathlon. His final lap in the Laser Run became a victory lap, met with thunderous applause from the fans as he established a new world record with an impressive 1,555 points.

"This is a dream come true to stand atop the podium and hear the Egyptian national anthem. It's the culmination of a lifetime of dedication. But my journey doesn't stop here," he said.

Elgendy has been managing a shoulder injury since the Tokyo Olympics, but his optimism shines through.

"Los Angeles 2028 is definitely on my radar. I need to make a full recovery from this injury, but with the right support and training, I'm confident I'll be there," he concluded.

Sara Ahmed Samir

Eight years after her bronze medal triumph in Rio, weightlifter Sara Ahmed Samir reached new heights in Paris. The 26-year-old secured a silver medal in the women's 81kg category, lifting a total of 268kg with 117kg in the snatch and 151kg in the clean and jerk.

Samir was in tears after the contest, having set her sights on gold. However, Norway's Solfrid Koanda set a new Olympic record with a lift of 275kg.

The 2022 World Champion now joins an elite group of Egyptian athletes with two Olympic medals to their name. Samir, who missed Tokyo 2020 due to Egypt's weightlifting ban, will undoubtedly be aiming for the top step of the podium in Los Angeles 2028.

Mohamed Elsayed

He might not have been among Egypt's top medal hopefuls, but fencer Mohamed Elsayed surprised everyone by winning his country's first medal in Paris. The 21-year-old battled through extra time to overcome Tibor Andrasfi of Hungary in the bronze medal match of the men's épée individual event.

Elsayed, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals at Tokyo, had an impressive run. He defeated John Rodriguez of Colombia (15-7) in the Round of 32, followed by victories over Andrea Santarelli of Italy (15-10) and Neisser Loyola of Belgium (9-8) in the quarterfinals. His gold medal hopes were dashed after a semifinal loss to Frenchman and world number 3 Yannick Borel (15-9).

Elsayed's medal marks the first for Africa in the épée discipline.

Omar Assar

Table tennis star Omar Assar advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's singles event, matching his performance in Tokyo three years ago. He has become the first African player to reach consecutive quarterfinals in the Olympic Games.

The Egyptian, ranked 22nd in the world, began his Paris campaign with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Madagascar's Fabio Rakotoarimanana, then outclassed Ecuador's Alberto Mino 4-0. He sealed his quarterfinal berth with a hard-fought 4-2 win against Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan.

However, his run ended with a 4-1 loss to Swedish sensation Truls Moregard, who had previously upset world number 1 Chuqin Wang of China. Moregard went on to claim the silver medal.

Malak Ismail

19-year-old Malak Ismail made a splash in her first Olympic appearance, reaching the final of the Modern Pentathlon.

She finished 11th overall with 1395 points. A champion in the making.

Abdellatif Mohamed Ahmed

Wrestler Abdellatif Mohamed Ahmed came agonizingly close to a medal but fell short in the Greco-Roman 130kg category. He opened with a promising 3-1 victory over Muhammat Bakir of Turkey but then lost to eventual silver medalist Yasmani Fernandez of Chile.

Ahmed battled back through the repechage, defeating Kiril Milov of Bulgaria 6-4 to earn a spot in the bronze medal match. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury during the bout and ultimately lost to Lingzhe Ming of China 5-2.

Mohamed Ali El Sayed Gabr

Wrestler Mohamed Ali Elsayed Gabr, competing in his first Olympics, narrowly missed a medal in the 97kg Greco-Roman category, losing the bronze medal match.

He had a strong start, upsetting world number 7 Mihail Kajaia of Serbia and then advancing past Abubakar Khaslakhanau to reach the semifinals. His run for gold was halted by a loss to world number 3 Mohammadhadi Saravi of Iran.

In a tightly contested bronze medal encounter, the 27-year-old Gabr fell just short, losing to Uzur Dzhuzupbekov 2-1.

Egypt U-23 Football Team

The young Pharaohs ended a long drought, reaching the Olympic semifinals for the first time since 1964.

Rogerio Micale's men topped their group, finishing ahead of eventual champions Spain. They then defeated the South American champions in a penalty shootout but were eliminated from the semifinals against hosts France after a dramatic 3-1 loss in extra time.

Despite their impressive overall performance, the Egyptians ended on a disappointing note, suffering a 6-0 defeat against a strong Moroccan side led by Achraf Hakimi and Sofiane Rahimi.

FLOPS

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Ziad Elsissy

Despite holding the top spot in the world rankings, fencer Ziad Elsissy was unable to secure a medal in Paris.

Considered a strong medal contender, Elsissy reached the semifinals of the men's sabre individual event but suffered a 15-11 defeat to Fares Ferjani of Tunisia. He also lost the bronze medal bout to Luigi Samele of Italy.

"I lost my concentration in the final stages and couldn't regain my focus," Elsissy admitted. "The pressure was immense, and competing in the world's most prestigious event is not easy. I want to apologize to the Egyptian supporters who were hoping I would win a medal."

 

Handball Team

The Egyptian handball national team, considered a medal contender, saw their Olympic dreams dashed in the quarterfinals.

Despite a strong showing in the group stage, finishing second in Group B behind reigning World and Olympic Champions Denmark, they were narrowly defeated 29-28 by Spain.

The Pharaohs struggled with accuracy, shooting at just 52%, and discipline, incurring five 2-minute suspensions during the match.

This marks another near-miss for the team, who also came close to a podium finish in Tokyo 2020, reaching the bronze medal match but ultimately falling to Spain.

Mohamed "Kesho" Ibrahim

Greco-Roman wrestler Ramadan Hussein Kesho, a bronze medalist in Tokyo three years ago, entered Paris with high expectations of upgrading his medal. However, his Olympic journey took a disappointing turn as he suffered a stunning 9-0 defeat to Hasrat Jafavrov of Azerbaijan in the Round of 16 of the 67kg category.

Adding to the setback, Kesho faced an assault allegation during his time in Paris, which was later proven to be false.

Seif Eissa

Egyptian Taekwondo star Seif Eissa, who made a name for himself with an Olympic medal in Tokyo 2020, fell short of repeating his success at Paris 2024.

Eissa was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the men's -80kg event after a 2-0 loss to Denmark's Edi Hrnic. This is a significant setback for the 2023 World Championship bronze medalist.

Azmy Mehelba

Despite his impressive track record and high ranking by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), Egyptian shooter Azmy Mehelba fell short in the Skeet Men event, finishing in tenth place in the qualifying round with 121 points.

Participating in his fourth Olympic Games, Mehelba's quest for an Olympic medal continues.

Yomna Ahmed Rezk Ayyad

Egyptian boxer Yomna Ahmed Rezk Ayyad made headlines, but for the wrong reasons. The young athlete failed to make weight for the women's 54kg event, coming in 0.7kg over the limit.

Ayyad was cleared of any wrongdoing after a medical report confirmed she had experienced unexpected physiological changes.

Ruled out with injuries

Weightlifter Karim Ibrahim Abu Kahla did not finish his 89kg contest after sustaining an injury in his right-shoulder during his second snatch attempt.

Equestrian Nayel Nassar was ruled out of the Games after his horse sustained an injury, preventing them from competing further.

Swimmer Marwan El-Kamash was injured during the 800m freestyle and had to quit his second event, the 1500m freestyle.

 

Check the Team Egypt squad

Check Team Egypt complete results

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