The Egyptian national artistic gymnastics team has once again proven its worth on the continental stage.
During the 19th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships, held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, last week, both the senior and junior squads delivered a series of high-level performances.
By the end of the competition, Egyptian athletes across all age groups occupied the top spots on the podium, bringing home a significant number of gold, silver, and bronze medals.
The Egyptian men’s senior team showed great consistency throughout the event.
The team, which includes Omar el-Araby, Mohamed Afifi, Omar el-Shobaki, Mostafa Ahmed, and YahyaZakaria, took first place to win the gold medal in the team final.
This victory allowed Egypt to keep its title as the top-ranked men’s team in Africa.
Head of the Egyptian delegation and Vice President of the Egyptian Gymnastics Federation, Lamiaa Ali Abdel Rahman, said preparations for the championship had begun before its official start.
“These preparations had started during the closed training camp held in Egypt,” she told The Gazette soon after returning from Cameroon.
She revealed that the federation organizes training camps throughout the year to ensure a high level of training and technical skills.
Gymnastics, Abdel Rahman said, requires a high degree of focus and consistency.
Individually, Olympic gymnast Omar el-Araby was a standout performer, having won the gold medal in the individual all-around competition, proving he is one of the best gymnasts in Africa.
He also secured a gold medal in the rings final, while his teammate, Mohamed Montaser, earned a silver medal in the all-round. Omar El Shobaki took home a silver medal on the pommel horse and a bronze on the rings.
The senior women’s team also reached the podium, earning a bronze medal in the team competition.
Abdel Rahman praised accommodation in Cameroon, having been close to the competition venue.
“Transportation was also excellent, allowing the athletes to focus and avoid distractions and fatigue,” Abdel Rahman said.
Junior gymnasts’ success
The junior gymnasts also showed the bright future awaiting the sport in Egypt, with the junior men’s team winning the gold medal in their team category.
Abdullah Shaarawy was particularly successful, winning the junior individual all-round gold medal.
He also earned three silver medals in the floor exercise, pommel horse, and rings finals.
Mazen el-Sayed added to the gold medal count by finishing first in both the floor exercise and rings.
He also took the silver medal in the all-round. In the pommel horse final, Mohamed Abdel Qawy secured another gold medal for Egypt.
These results highlight a deep level of talent within the junior men’s programme, as multiple athletes contributed to the overall success of the delegation, sports analysts said.
The Egyptian junior girls’ team also finished in first place, having won the gold medal in the team competition.
They finished ahead of the South African teamwhich came second, and the Algerian team which came third.
Tia El-Midani was a major contributor to the girls’ success, winning the gold medal in the individual all-round and the parallel bars.
She also earned a bronze medal on the vault, while her teammate, Malak Mokalled, took the silver medal in the all-round and another silver on the parallel bars.
Additionally, Gozal El-Garhy won a silver medal in the vault final.
Abdel Rahman attributed these victories to the federation’s planning mastery.
“We don’t just focus on the first and second generations, but also on the third generation,” Abdel Rahman said. “We have successive generations.”
She added that the federation constantly applies international standards, identifies areas for improvement through participation in international competitions and maintains continual player evaluations.
“When we participate in championships, we have expectations, and our expectations are largely met, thanks to evaluation integrity,” Abdel Rahman said.
She noted that the combination of experienced Olympic athletes and a new generation of junior champions has created a balanced and successful national programme.
“Our focus now shifts to maintaining this momentum for future international competitions,” Abdel Rahman said in an optimistic tone.
