Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez revealed that she competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics—all while seven months pregnant.
Hafez, who is from Cairo and was appearing at her third Olympics, made her way to the final 16 in the women’s saber individual competition, shared that she had accomplished the feat while expecting her first child with husband Ibrahim Ihab, whom she married in March 2023.
The 26-year-old earned a spot at her third Games, having first competed in Rio in 2016 and then the much-delayed 2020 Games in Tokyo, where she placed 36th and 29th, respectively.
“7 MONTHS PREGNANT OLYMPIAN!” the Olympian wrote on Instagram on Monday. “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come-to-our-world, little baby!”
The athlete added that she and her unborn child have had their “fair share of challenges,” both “physical” and “emotional” throughout the event due to the pregnancy, but powered through to accomplish what she did.
“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,” Hafez continued before thanking her husband and family for their support. “I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!”
Hafez defeated American world No. 10 Elizabeth Tartakovsky in the round of 32 before losing to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea. She previously competed for Egypt at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics in sabre. Hafez entered the Olympics as the 29th-ranked sabre fencer in the world and Egypt’s top competitor, according to the International Fencing Federation.
A former gymnast—national gymnastics champion in Egypt, according to the International Fencing Federation—with a degree in medicine from Cairo University, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games. She finished Monday’s competition officially ranked 16th, her best result in any of her three Olympic appearances.
This time around, she expressed that she’s leaving Paris with a different sense of pride than her two previous trips to the Games.
“This specific Olympics was different; Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian one! ❤️” Hafez wrote.
