Nada Hafez has revealed she competed at this summer’s Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant.
The 26-year-old fencer from Cairo overcame the odds to beat the United States’ Elizabeth Tartakovsky, a former US college champion, in the round of 32 of the women’s sabre.
She exited the competition in the last 16, losing to Jeon Ha-young of South Korea.
But after being knocked out on Monday, she made the remarkable revelation on social media.
In a post titled “Seven months pregnant Olympian!” she said she had competed in the event while carrying her “little Olympian”.
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Hafez, who also competed at the Rio and Tokyo games, wrote: “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three!
“It was me, my competitor, and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby! My baby and I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical and emotional.
“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.
“I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!
“I’m lucky to have shared the trust of my husband and that of my family to be able to come this far.
“This specific Olympics was different; Three times *Olympian*, but this time carrying a little Olympian one.”
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A former gymnast, Hafez has a degree in medicine and has won gold medals in the individual and team sabre events at the 2019 African Games.
She finished Monday’s competition officially ranked 16th, her best result in any of her three Olympic appearances.
