Wikipedia

Sara Ahmed (weightlifter)

Sara Ahmed (Arabic: سارة سمير السيد محمد أحمد; born 1 January 1998) is an Egyptian weightlifter who won a bronze medal in the women's 69 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the silver medal in the women's 81kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She won the gold medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships.

Sara Ahmed
Personal information
Full nameSara Samir Elsayed Mohamed Ahmed
Born (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 28)
Al-Huaniya, Ismailia Governorate, Egypt
Height155 cm (5 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight71.00 kg (157 lb)
Sport
CountryEgypt
SportWeightlifting
Event
–71 kg
Coached byKhaled Korani[2]
Medal record
Representing  Egypt
Women's weightlifting
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2024 Paris81 kg
Bronze medal – third place2016 Rio de Janeiro69 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 Bogotá–76 kg
Gold medal – first place2023 Riyadh–76 kg
Silver medal – second place2018 Ashgabat–71 kg
Silver medal – second place2024 Manama–81 kg
Silver medal – second place2025 Førde–77 kg
African Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Cairo76 kg
Gold medal – first place2022 Cairo81 kg
Gold medal – first place2023 Tunis81 kg
Gold medal – first place2024 Ismailia81 kg
Gold medal – first place2026 Ismailia86 kg
African Games
Gold medal – first place2015 Brazzaville69 kg
Gold medal – first place2023 Accra81 kg
Islamic Solidarity Games
Gold medal – first place2025 Riyadh77 kg T
Gold medal – first place2025 Riyadh77 kg C
Silver medal – second place2025 Riyadh77 kg S
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Wrocław69 kg
Gold medal – first place2018 Tashkent69 kg
Junior African Championships
Gold medal – first place2012 Tunis63 kg
Youth Olympics
Gold medal – first place2014 Nanjing63 kg
World Youth Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Lima63 kg
Gold medal – first place2013 Tashkent63 kg
Youth African Championships
Gold medal – first place2012 Tunis63 kg

Originally from the Ismailia Governorate, Ahmed was encouraged to take part in weightlifting by her family and was competing internationally by 2012. At the senior level, she has earned gold medals at the Mediterranean and African Games, as well as the Arab Championships. In Rio de Janeiro, she became the first Arab woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal and the first Egyptian woman to receive an Olympic medal on the podium in any discipline.

Early life

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Ahmed was born in the village of Al-Huaniya in Egypt's Ismailia Governorate. Her father (who died in 2015)[3] and older brother were national competitors in weightlifting, which inspired her to take up the sport in 2010. Although her participation in the sport interfered with her studies somewhat, she received encouragement and support for her family and found success in local and regional tournaments, eventually earning a spot on the Egyptian national team.[4]

Career

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Ahmed's international career began at the 2012 Junior African Championships in Tunis, where she won gold in the 63 kg division. She repeated that feat at the Youth edition, held in the same city, as well as the 2013 Youth World Championships in Tashkent. Her first senior-level competition was the 2013 Mediterranean Games, where she won the clean & jerk portion and was third in the snatch, leaving her second overall behind Turkey's Sibel Şimşek (Romela Begaj of Albania had the same total, but a higher body weight). She then bumped up to the 69 kg division and won that category at the 2014 African Youth and Junior Championships, then returned to 63 kg and earned gold at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. She competed one last time in the 63 kg division at the 2014 World Championships in Almaty, where she placed 12th, and then returned to 69 kg and captured gold at the 2015 African Games and Youth and Junior World Championships; at the latter she was named the Best Female Lifter.[2] She placed fourth at the 2015 World Championships in Houston and took home gold at that year's Arab Championships held in Sharm el-Sheikh.[5]

Ahmed represented Egypt at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's 69 kg event, skipping her high school exams in order to compete.[3] To prepare for the Games, she attended training camps in Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil.[6] In Rio she won a bronze medal, lifting a combined weight of 255 kg.[7] She thus became the first Arab woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal and the first Egyptian woman to win an Olympic medal,[8] although Abeer Abdelrahman retroactively received a silver medal from the women's 75 kg weightlifting event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, as all three medallists in that event tested positive for banned substances and she was upgraded from fifth to third after the Games.[7] Ahmed was also the first Egyptian to win a weightlifting medal since 1948, with the caveat that Abdelrahman and Tarek Yehia retroactively received medals from the London Games.[9][10][11] Later in the day, Mohamed Ihab joined her in this distinction by taking bronze in the men's 77 kg.[12]

Upon her return, she was honoured in a ceremony held by Ismailia governor Yassin Taher, received congratulatory messages from Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi,[6] and was given 500,000 Egyptian pounds.[13] Soon after receiving the medal, she declared her intention to train for gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[3] Following her victory, she encouraged the Egyptian government to do more to support its athletes, including granting more leniency for athletes in terms of taking college-preparatory exams. She has no special nutritional routine and is coached by the national team's Khaled Korany.[6]

Ahmed won gold in both portions of the 69 kg division at the 2018 Mediterranean Games.[14] The following month, at the 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, she won all three categories of the 69 kg tournament.[15] At the senior edition that year, she was third in the snatch and second in the clean and jerk, which placed her second overall in the 71 kg division.[16] As of 2016 she was engaged to another Egyptian Olympic weightlifter, Ragab Abdelhay.[13]

In 2018, Ahmed won gold at the World Junior Championships in the 69 kg. division,[17] silver in the 71 kg. category at the senior World Championships,[18] and gold in the 69 kg. event at the Mediterranean Games.[19] She won the 76 kg. division at the 2019 African Weightlifting Championships[20] and the African Games, but had her results stripped from the latter and was banned from competition for two years following violations of anti-doping regulations.[21]

After her ban ended, Ahmed won gold in the 76 kg. category at the World Championships[22] and the 81 kg. event at the African Weightlifting Championships in 2022.[23] She defended both of these titles in 2023.[24][25] She was also African Champion in 2024[26] and runner-up in the 81 kg. division at the year's World Championships.[27] Ahmed was the official flag bearer of her country at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, along with athlete Ahmed El-Gendy.[28] In August 2024, she competed in the women's 81 kg event.She finished second with a total of 268 kg and won a silver medal.[29]

Major results

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Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
123Rank123Rank
Olympic Games
2016Rio de Janeiro, Brazil69 kg107110112N/a135140143N/a2553rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2024Paris, France81 kg113117119N/a146151155N/a2682nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Championships
2014Almaty, Kazakhstan63 kg100104104131201251291222912
2015Houston, United States69 kg105110112613513813852455
2017Anaheim, United States69 kg102102104—1261321361st place, gold medalist(s)——
2018Ashgabat, Turkmenistan71 kg1051101113rd place, bronze medalist(s)136141—2nd place, silver medalist(s)2522nd place, silver medalist(s)
2022Bogotá, Colombia76 kg1091131161st place, gold medalist(s)1381431481st place, gold medalist(s)2611st place, gold medalist(s)
2023Riyadh, Saudi Arabia76 kg108——1st place, gold medalist(s)138——1st place, gold medalist(s)2461st place, gold medalist(s)
2024Manama, Bahrain81 kg11311711741451491532nd place, silver medalist(s)2622nd place, silver medalist(s)
2025Førde, Norway77 kg1101121152nd place, silver medalist(s)1401471502nd place, silver medalist(s)2522nd place, silver medalist(s)
African Games
2015Brazzaville, Congo69 kg951021051st place, gold medalist(s)1261321361st place, gold medalist(s)2341st place, gold medalist(s)
2019Rabat, Morocco76 kg105111115—133141——DSQ—
2024Accra, Ghana81 kg100——1st place, gold medalist(s)131140—1st place, gold medalist(s)2401st place, gold medalist(s)
African Championships
2019Cairo, Egypt76 kg1051091121st place, gold medalist(s)1351411451st place, gold medalist(s)2571st place, gold medalist(s)
2022Cairo, Egypt81 kg110116—1st place, gold medalist(s)140145—1st place, gold medalist(s)2611st place, gold medalist(s)
2023Tunis, Tunisia81 kg1101141171st place, gold medalist(s)1401461511st place, gold medalist(s)2681st place, gold medalist(s)
2024Ismailia, Egypt81 kg1051101131st place, gold medalist(s)131140—1st place, gold medalist(s)2531st place, gold medalist(s)
Mediterranean Games
2013Mersin, Turkey63 kg92981003rd place, bronze medalist(s)1121201241st place, gold medalist(s)216N/a
2018Tarragona, Spain69 kg1001051071st place, gold medalist(s)127135—1st place, gold medalist(s)240N/a
World Junior Championships
2015Wrocław, Poland69 kg1021051061st place, gold medalist(s)1251281301st place, gold medalist(s)2321st place, gold medalist(s)
2018Tashkent, Uzbekistan69 kg1001051071st place, gold medalist(s)1251331371st place, gold medalist(s)2381st place, gold medalist(s)
Youth Olympic Games
2014Nanjing, China63 kg97103103N/a118125129N/a2281st place, gold medalist(s)
World Youth Championships
2013Tashkent, Uzbekistan63 kg92971011st place, gold medalist(s)1131201241st place, gold medalist(s)2211st place, gold medalist(s)
2015Lima, Peru69 kg1001031081st place, gold medalist(s)1251301331st place, gold medalist(s)2361st place, gold medalist(s)

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Sara Ahmed". Rio2016.com. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Sara Ahmed". nbcolympics.com. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Badr, Doaa (18 August 2016). "Interview: Egypt's teenage weightlifter Sara Ahmed has further ambitions after winning bronze in Rio". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  4. ↑ عبدالرشيد, أحمد (15 September 2014). "البوابة نيوز : أسرة سارة سمير بطلة العالم في رفع الأثقال: مقابلة الرئيس دفعة معنوية لتحقيق المزيد من الإنجازات (طباعة)" (in Arabic). albawabhnews.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "AHMED Sara Samir Elsayed Mohamed". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Fouly, Mahmooud (23 August 2016). "Interview: Egypt's girl eyes gold after getting bronze in Rio Olympics". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Weightlifting – Ahmed earns landmark podium for Egypt". Channel NewsAsia. 10 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Sims, Alexandra (12 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Egypt's Sara Ahmed becomes first Arab woman to win Olympic weightlifting medal". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Maher, Hatem (10 August 2016). "Teenager weightlifter Sara Samir wins Egypt's first Rio medal". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "ABIR ABDELRAHMAN Khalil Mahmoud Khalil". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "ABDELAZIM Tarek Yehia Fouad". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  12. ↑ "Mohamed Mahmoud". Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 10 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Weightlifting champ Sara Ahmed: bronze is just the beginning". Egypt Independent. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Tarragona 2018 – Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  15. ↑ "2018 IWF Junior World Championships – 06-14 July 2018, Tashkent, Uzbekistan – Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. July 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "2018 IWF World Championships". International Weightlifting Federation. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  17. ↑ "2018 IWF Junior World Championships 06-14 July 2018, Taskent, Uzbekistan Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "PROTOCOL WOMEN 71 kg Group A" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 6 November 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  19. ↑ "Tarragona 2018 Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. June 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "African Senior Weightlifting Qualification Championships 2019 Result Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. May 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "The ITA imposes two-year sanctions on six Egyptian weightlifters". International Weightlifting Federation. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  22. ↑ "IWF Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "African Senior Weightlifting Championships" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "IWF World Championships Riyadh 2023 Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 17 September 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  25. ↑ "African Senior 33 Men and 22Women Weightlifting Championships" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  26. ↑ "African Senior weightlifting Championships" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  27. ↑ "IWF Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  28. ↑ Hincks, Michael; Schwager-Patel, Nischal (25 July 2024). "Paris 2024 Olympics: The flagbearers at Friday's Opening Ceremony, from Coco Gauff to NBA stars". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  29. ↑ "Weightlifting Results Book" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 11 August 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
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