Defying all the odds and setting new benchmarks of women empowerment, Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez competed at the Paris Olympics 2024 while seven months pregnant.

Nada Hafez of Egypt after her win over USA’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky in Women’s saber individual table of 32 at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Monday. (Photo – Getty Images)

New Delhi: Nada Hafez, a fencer from Egypt who took part in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, revealed that she competed at the marquee event while seven months pregnant. Ever since her announcement on social media, she has been receiving a plethora of heartwarming comments as netizens are hailing him for her determination and courage to compete on a global stage in such a condition.

On Monday, the 26-year-old first took part in the women’s individual saber Round of 32 competition where she faced Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the USA and beat her 15-13 to make her way to the Round of 16 of the same event. Unlike other sports, the next round was held on the same day where she next faced Jeon Ha-Young of South Korea. However, she couldn’t fare better than her and was dominated by her opponent 15-7, which knocked her out as well.

It is well understood that during the time of pregnancy, utmost alertness is required and everything needs to be taken care of to maintain the health of the baby. Defying all the odds, Hafez took the piste at the Grand Palais in the French capital on Monday and competed in not one but two games while carrying her baby in her belly. Hafez was quite emotional after her R-32 win and couldn’t hold back tears, the reason being clear now.

Heartening Insta post

Hafez, who hails from Cairo, appeared at the Olympics for the third time, this edition “while expecting.” Taking to her Instagram account, Hafez shared a heartfelt post where she posted a couple of her pictures and wrote a long note alongside, opening up about competing at the Games while seven months into pregnancy.

“Seven months pregnant Olympian. What appears to you as two players on the stage, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” Hafez wrote.

She further added, “My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & 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 (Ibrahim Ihab) 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!” she concluded.

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