Interview by: Al-Zahraa Rashad

She is a golden athlete and an Olympic champion who made history for Egyptian sports by winning two Olympic medals in weightlifting. She was the first girl to achieve such a feat and has won several Arab, African, and world titles. We spoke to her about her athletic journey, her family life, and her message to all Egyptian women.

When did you start practicing weightlifting?
I started weightlifting when I was ten years old. I continued participating in local championships, always finishing in first place, until I played my first international tournament in 2007. It was the Arab Games held in Aswan, and I came in first.

What are the most notable championships you’ve won?
I won the Junior World Championship in 2007, securing three gold medals. After that, I won first place and three gold medals in the African Championship. I also competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and placed fifth before the results were revised. I was the youngest competitor in the Olympics at the time—only 15 years old. The International Olympic Committee even mentioned my name in their internal broadcast as the youngest participant. After that, I participated in the Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy, and won a gold medal, then a bronze at the Senior World Championship. At the 2012 London Olympics, I initially came in fifth, but after the results were amended due to the disqualification of the athletes ahead of me for doping, I was upgraded to second place.

How did you feel when you were awarded the Olympic medals for London 2012 and Beijing 2008 years after competing?
It was a strange feeling—a mix of joy that God rewarded me for all my hard work over the years and the wish that it had happened at the time so I could stand on the podium. The concept of stripping the top three athletes of their medals and awarding them to those behind had never happened before—it was introduced for the first time in 2016. I remember during the 2012 London Olympics I was very eager to win a medal for Egypt and tried lifting 151 kg to secure bronze, but I fell and couldn’t do it. When the results were revised and I found out I had won the silver, I felt that God had given me what I truly deserved for all my effort and perseverance.

Your sports journey is long and inspiring. How did your family contribute to your success?
My family was very supportive from the beginning. My father used to come with me to training and once traveled with me on a 12-hour train ride to Aswan to attend the Arab Games in 2007. My siblings also encouraged and motivated me to continue, especially when I felt tired from training.

You married a fellow athlete from the national weightlifting team. How has that impacted your athletic journey?
Marrying my colleague, Captain Mohamed Sultan, who is also a weightlifter, has been very positive. There’s mutual understanding in our conversations and discussions about the sport. I’m teaching my children, but I’ll let them choose the sport they love. I hope they become weightlifting champions so their father and I can pass on the essence of our experience in the sport.

You were honored at the First Arab Women in Sports Forum in 2021. Can you tell us about that?
I was very happy to be honored at that forum and to share the moment with other female champions. It felt like compensation for not standing on the Olympic podium back then.

What are you currently doing after retiring from the sport?
I’m coaching girls in weightlifting, and it brings me joy to teach them something new and help them overcome their fear of the sport. I feel like we’ve become a family rather than just a coach and athletes.

As a female athlete and coach, how do you see the development of women’s sports in Egypt and the path to more medals and championships?
There’s a broader base of female participation in sports now compared to the past. Girls are now practicing challenging sports like wrestling, boxing, and kickboxing. Overall sports development depends on supporting athletes, especially during difficult times like injuries, and not abandoning them. Also, creating committees to visit schools and scout talents among both boys and girls would be vital. We need to direct children toward sports that suit their physical and mental capabilities based on height, weight, and other factors. This is done in countries like China and the U.S. I believe implementing this more thoroughly would create a boom in Egypt’s medal count at the Arab, African, and international levels.

What message do you have for women as we celebrate Women`s Month in March?
I say to every woman: you are beautiful all the time—through your effort, patience, and hard work. Women are the soul of society. I advise every girl and woman to be strong, patient, never give up, improve themselves, play sports, work, and not surrender to challenges and pressures.

What are your expectations for Egypt’s weightlifting team at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
I wish all our male and female athletes success at this Olympics. We have many outstanding athletes, and I hope Sarah Samir wins the gold medal, and that the rest of the team also performs well. I’m not sure how many athletes have qualified, but I’m confident that Egypt will win multiple medals.