Egyptian Athletes Shine at 2014 Youth Olympics

Egypt brings home nine medals from Nanjing, China

by Kaylan Geiger

Egyptian athletes won nine medals at the second Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG), hosted by Nanjing, China, from August 16 – 28, with two national firsts in swimming and women’s weightlifting. The youth games, open to athletes ages 15-18, include 28 official Olympic sports plus additional events that feature teams made up of different nationalities. Egypt’s medals in the official Olympic sports: Ahmed Akram took the gold medal in the 800m Freestyle swimming competition, winning Egypt’s first medal ever in aquatics. He missed out on a second medal by less than three tenths of a second, placing fourth in the 400m Freestyle event. Sara Ahmed won the gold medal in the women’s weightlifting 63kg category, becoming the first woman ever to win a gold medal for Egypt in a solo event. The Egyptian handball team won the silver medal, failing to defend their gold from the 2010 YOG in Singapore. Ahmed Youssef won a bronze medal in the hammer throw competition, Egypt’s only medal in the athletics category. Ahmed Ahmed won the bronze medal for wrestling in the Greco-Roman men’s 85kg category. Abdulla ElGizawee won the bronze medal for wrestling in men’s Freestyle 100kg competition. Seif Eissa won a bronze medal for Taekwondo in the men’s 73kg competition. Mohamed Shosha won a bronze medal in the weightlifting men’s 85kg competition. The YOG differs from the Olympic Games with its mixed gender and mixed international competitions, pairing athletes from different countries as a way to encourage cultural exchange. Here Egyptians excelled in team shooting events: Hadir Makhimar, with Hungarian teammate Istvan Peni, won a gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed International team competition. Ahmed Mohamed, with teammate Xiu Ti Teh from Singapore, won a silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed International team competition. Off the playing field, the YOG features a Culture and Education Program based around five main themes: Olympism, Social Responsibility, Skills Development, Expression and Well-being and Healthy Lifestyles. In 2010, Egyptian athletes won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals at the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

For all the details on how Egypt’s 83 athletes did at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, click here.