MENA Sports Wrap: Turkish shooter, pregnant Egyptian fencer go viral at Olympics

The Olympic Games in Paris this week saw Egypt win the Arab world's first medal, with athletes from the region going viral for their performances and gaining legions of fans globally.

Egypt's Nada Hafez reveals she was carrying 'little Olympian' at Paris games

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez revealed this week that she was seven months pregnant while competing at the Paris Olympics.

After reaching the round of 16 in women's saber on Monday, the 26-year-old took to Instagram to tell fans and supporters that she was "carrying a little Olympian one".

"My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional," Hafez wrote. "The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!"

Hafez, a medicine graduate and former gymnast, overcame the odds to defeat Team USA's Elizabeth Tartakovsky in the round of 23, but exited the competition after losing to South Korea's Jeon Ha-young.

"The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it," Hafez said.

A former gymnast with a degree in medicine, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games.

Despite not securing a medal in Paris, Hafez has now climbed up in the rankings to 16th in the world — her highest record from three Olympic games.

Turkey's Yusuf Dikec goes viral for 'casual look' at Olympics shooting event

Turkish sports shooter Yusuf Dikec has gone viral on social media for his "nonchalant and casual" demeanor at the Olympics, as he competed with one hand in his pocket, and without protective gear usually worn by shooters.

Usually, sports shooters wear large ear protectors, visors, and high-tech shooting glasses, though Dikec did not sport any of the gear. The 51-year-old seemingly wore standard glasses, earplugs and what resembled a casual Turkey t-shirt and jogging trousers.

Dikec, alongside Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won the silver medal in the 10 metre air pistol mixed team event on Tuesday. Their win became Turkey’s first-ever Olympic medal in the sport.

Dikec is an Olympic veteran, having competed in every competition since Beijing 2008, and has won dozens of medals across European and World championships.

Several memes spread online in awe of the shooter’s dressed-down appearance, with many likening him to a "regular uncle" and even a  "hitman" competing at the Games.

The Turkish medalist seemed to be embracing the trend, reposting a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram page.

Several artists have created fan art of Dikec in action, ranging from manga to comic book style.

Speaking after his silver medal win, Dikec said: "I dd not need special equipment. I’m just a natural, natural shooter."

Algerian gymnastics hopeful finishes 5th in individual event, gears up for uneven bars

Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour finished in a historic fifth place at the women’s individual all-round event on Thursday, making headlines worldwide.

Prior to the event, Nemour was considered among the serious contenders for a medal, alongside US legend Simone Biles, who is the most decorated gymnast of all time, and  the event’s defending champion.

Nemour’s achievement was marked by her excellent performance in the uneven bars event-  her forte. The 17-year-old finished first in the event – which is part of the – the individual all-round routine – with a score of 15.533, and ahead of Biles.

The gymnast’s has been thrusted into the spotlight due to her representing Algeria internationally and not her country of birth, France. Nemour had initially competed for France in junior competitions, but a spat with the French Gymnastics Federation prompted her to switch to Algeria last year.

The feud started in 2021, after Nemour underwent double knee surgery due to struggles with a bone and cartilage condition. The French Gymnastics Federation thought Nemour’s issues were a result of overtraining and prevented her from competing, which angered her club, Avoine Beaumont.

The dispute reached the ministry sport, with the French gymnastics body threatened to block Nemour from competing for Algeria intervened. The gymnast was given the green light to compete for the North African country last year for the 2024 Olympics.

Nemour, who is a silver medalist at the uneven bars event at the World Championships last year, is the favourite to win gold at the event in Paris – which would undoubtedly be a historic feat for Algerian sport.

Egypt wins first Arab medal of the Olympics

Egypt, the Arab world’s best performing country throughout the Olympics, won its first medal of the competition thanks to fencer Mohamed El-Sayed.

The fencer won the medal in the men’s epee bronze medal bout against Hungarian Tibor Andrasfi.

The 21-year-old, ranked 10th in the world, defeated his rival 8-7.

El-Sayed went viral on social media for celebrating his medal in the same manner as Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo usually celebrates scoring goals with storming jump and turn, before landing in spread-eagled fashion, before shouting 'siuu', resembling the Spanish word for yes - si.

Morocco boxing hopeful and world champ Mardi advances to quarter-final

Moroccan boxer Khadija Mardie has advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s -75 kg category, after beating her British counterpart Chantelle Reid on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the Moroccan boxer edged out Reid with a 3-2 win, securing her place in the next round, which is set to take place on Sunday where she is set to face Australian Caitlin Parker.

Mardi is one of Morocco’s medal hopefuls in the Paris Olympics, as she is the current women’s heavyweight world champion.

Mardi, who hails from Casablanca, will find herself under extra pressure to make it to the semi-finals as fellow boxer and medal hopeful Widad Bertal failed to make it to the semi-finals of the -54 kg category.

Mardi had previously represented the North African nation at the 2016 Olympics, but was forced to withdraw from Tokyo 2020 due to medical reasons.