MADEIRA, Portugal – Egypt’s Paralympic swimming champion Aya Ayman Abbas won the medal bronze of the 100m freestyle event at the World Para Swimming Championship in Portugal, breaking her old record with five seconds and achieving a new African record.
The Egyptian swimming team’s coach, Emad Madbouli, was keen to accompany Aya to the podium to receive her medal and raise the Egyptian flag.
Aya’s win was achieved after a fierce competition with the champions of Japan and Greece who ranked in the fourth and fifth places.
In 2017, she participated in the Berlin tournament, where she won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle and bronze medals in the 100m and 400m freestyle events.
Aya won a silver medal in the 100m freestyle in the World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico and a medal in the 400m freestyle. By winning these medals, Aya achieved a new national record as the first female Egyptian and/or African swimmer to be placed in these two events since 1910.
In addition, in 2015, Aya participated in the Polish championship, where she won gold and silver medals in the 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle, respectively, qualifying for Brazil’s 2016 Paralympics. At the Spanish championship in 2015, she won two golds and a silver in the freestyle.
