El Gendy Star of the Year… Egyptian Squash Soars Globally
Farida Emerging Strongly in Modern Pentathlon… and Sara Samir Continues Her Achievements

By: Al-Zahraa Rashad

Egypt’s champions across various sports succeeded in achieving an impressive and successful season, securing international, world, and continental titles in modern pentathlon, fencing, table tennis, and weightlifting. The following lines highlight these achievements.

Olympic champion Ahmed El Gendy received the Arab Sports Culture Award for Best Arab Sporting Achievement (Men) after winning the gold medal in modern pentathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation won the award for Best Arab Federation.

El Gendy was also crowned Best Athlete for Endurance, Determination, and Perseverance at the ANOCA Awards ceremony, held on the sidelines of the General Assembly meetings of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

Ahmed El Gendy is considered one of Egypt’s most prominent athletes. He won gold at the Paris Olympics in modern pentathlon and previously secured silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He began his sporting career at the age of six by practicing swimming and running, achieving several national swimming titles. He later took up shooting, fencing, and equestrian events before specializing in modern pentathlon.

El Gendy started his career at Tala’ea El Gaish Club before signing with El Shams Club.

He achieved several distinguished titles, winning gold medals at the World Junior and Youth Championships in Portugal and the Czech Republic in April and August 2018. He also won gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina the same year, which qualified him for the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award. He won the award and was honored in the United Arab Emirates alongside Egyptian international footballer Mohamed Salah, who also received the award for his sporting career.

In 2019, El Gendy won silver at the World Junior Modern Pentathlon Championship, followed by gold at the Senior World Cup, thus combining junior, youth, and senior world titles—an achievement not accomplished since Egyptian athlete Aya Medany.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, El Gendy won silver in the men’s individual modern pentathlon after climbing from 13th place to second in the Olympic final—an achievement many described as a “miracle” that astonished the world. Upon his return, he received a letter from the International Modern Pentathlon Union congratulating him as the first Arab and African athlete to win an Olympic medal in the sport.

Crowning these achievements, Ahmed El Gendy, gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was elected President of the Athletes’ Commission of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, succeeding Dr. Aya Medany .

Farida Khalil and an Exceptional, Outstanding Season

Rising star Farida Khalil, a member of Egypt’s national modern pentathlon team, succeeded in winning the gold medal at the Modern Pentathlon World Cup hosted by Egypt at the American University grounds in New Cairo. Meanwhile, her teammate Mohanad Shaaban claimed the bronze medal in the same champion.

Farida Khalil also secured the gold medal in the women’s individual final at the 2025 Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final Series, hosted by Egypt at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria from July 4 to 6. Moataz Wael, a member of Egypt’s national team, won gold in the men’s individual event.

The young champion also captured the silver medal at the World Cup hosted by Hungary from April 20 to 27.

Farida Khalil went on to win another gold medal at the Modern Pentathlon World Cup in Bulgaria, while Egypt’s Malak Ismail earned bronze in the same competition.

She further achieved a historic milestone by winning the gold medal in the women’s individual event at the Senior Modern Pentathlon World Championship held in Lithuania, becoming the youngest player in history to claim the title.

Crowning these remarkable achievements, Farida Khalil received the Best Arab Sportswoman Award for 2025 at the Fatima bint Mubarak Women’s Sports Awards.

On the men’s side, Moataz Wael won the gold medal at the Senior Modern Pentathlon World Championship in Lithuania, becoming the first Egyptian in history to win the individual gold medal at the World Championships in a historic and unprecedented achievement.

Egypt also secured the bronze medal in the men’s team event through the trio of Moataz Wael, Mohanad Shaaban, and Mohamed Hassan, while France won gold and Ukraine claimed silver.

In the women’s team event, the Egyptian trio of Farida Khalil, Malak Ismail, and Jana Attia earned the bronze medal behind Italy and Great Britain.

Additionally, Moataz Wael won the gold medal at the World Cup hosted by Hungary from April 20 to 27.

Squash Highlights
Ali Farag Announces His Retirement

Egyptian world squash star Ali Farag officially announced his retirement from the sport in May 2025 after a career filled with remarkable achievements. He won the World Championship title four times, both individually and with the national team.

In recognition of his outstanding career, Wadi Degla Clubs announced that one of its squash courts will be named after Ali Farag in honor of his legacy.

Born in 1992, Ali Farag began playing squash at an early age at Heliopolis Sporting Club when he was just six years old, encouraged by his brother Wael. He loved the sport so much that he never wanted to leave the courts. Early in his career, he won several national junior titles as well as international tournaments in the Netherlands.

Kareem Darwish is considered Farag’s spiritual mentor in squash. He encouraged him to continue playing and supported his move to Wadi Degla Club in 2017. Since then, Darwish has supervised his training and provided significant support.

Ali Farag achieved numerous world titles, beginning with the Men’s World Championship in March 2019—his first world title—which helped him end Mohamed El Shorbagy’s reign at the top of the world rankings and become World No. 1 for the first time in his career.

Before winning the world title, Farag had already claimed several major achievements, including runner-up at the World Junior Championship in 2010 and winning the British Open in the same year. He also represented Egypt in the World Team Championship in 2014 and won several other prestigious titles, including the Swedish Open, US Open, Hong Kong Open, and the Al Ahram International Squash Championship.

Ali Farag is married to fellow world champion Nour El Tayeb. Their love story began on the glass courts and culminated in marriage in 2016. Together, they won the US Open Squash Championship in 2017, becoming the first married couple in history to win the title.

Farag was widely known for his fair play and respect for his opponents, earning him the admiration and respect of teammates and coaches alike.