Egyptian champion, Samar Hamza, continued to make history and fulfil her dreams by coming on top of the world rankings for women singles wrestling in the 76kg category.
Hamza does not apparently tire of winning big titles.
Last week, she won the gold medal of the African Wrestling Championship in the women’s 76kg category in Tunisia.
The tournament was held in the North African country from May 15 to May 21.
Hamza also won the gold medal in the beach wrestling competition which was held in Tunisia as well.
She said beach wrestling was far from easy to her.
“It was even harder than regular wrestling because of the sands, the winds and the sun,” Hamza told the Egyptian Mail in an interview.
“The outfits were even different,” she added.
Her latest triumph in the beach wrestling competition came less than 48 hours after she won the gold in the African Wrestling Championship.
Hamza said she did not face any difficulties in the African championship.
“I now compete at a higher international level,” she said.
The golden champion, as she is widely known, made a distinguished performance during the championship, during which the Egyptian delegation demonstrated a remarkable superiority.
The Egyptian national team won 58 medals, including 38 gold ones, 14 silver ones, and six bronze medals.
Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi applauded the achievements of the national wrestling team at the 2023 African Wrestling Championships.
“These results demonstrate the stamina and efficiency of Egyptian athletes, as well as the achievements of national wrestling, thanks to the progress the national sports industry made with the great support of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi,” Minister Sobhi told President of the Egyptian Wrestling Federation Essam Nawar on the phone.
Hamza started her wrestling career in 2013, when she was 18.
She clinched the gold medal in the 2016 African Wrestling Championship which was organized in Egypt.
She qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil where she made her first Olympic participation. She achieved 12th place.
Hamza also participated in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. However, she lost in the match for third place.
She also won the bronze medal in the World Championships in 2021, an unprecedented achievement in Egyptian wrestling.
She said she succeeded to achieve a lot in a short period.
“I always want more,” Hamza said. “I hope I can become a source of pride and joy for Egyptians and Arabs.”
With nine medals, Hamza is Africa’s largest winning female wrestler.
She said she won the African championship for the 9th time, having beaten her Nigerian competitor.
This was a major achievement for her, she said, given the fact that Nigeria had dominated the African wrestling scene for a long time in the past.
Hamza reached the final of the last world championship and won a silver medal.
Her Egyptian fans call her ‘Egypt’s strongest woman’.
She will participate in a major championship in Kurdistan in early June. Hamza will participate in another tournament in early July. In September, she will take part in the Olympics qualifying world championship.
“Wrestling is tough and violent, but it is empowering,” Hamza said.
“It taught me to be independent and make decisions. I hope the game will get more media attention and attract more girls to it in the future,” she added.
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