For the last 12 years, Egyptian wrestlers have been trying to get that gold wrestling medal, but it was Mohamed Ibrahim who made Egypt proud today. The champion won the U23 World title at 67 kg in Greco-Roman on Wednesday night in Bucharest, Romania. The last Egyptian winning gold medal in 2006 Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelfattah at 84 kg.
The wrestler held a 2-0 lead over 2012 Cadet World champion Karim Jafarov, and won with continuous points for an 8-0 technical fall. In an interview with ElFagr last October, Ibrahim explained that he started wrestling in a small club and only joined Egypt’s national team in 2014. While the continuous success has been gratifying, the athlete complained that the lack of emotional and financial return has been a disappointment.
Although the wrestler’s media coverage increased after Egypt’s exit from the FIFA World Cup, which ultimately led the country to find inspiration in other athletes and sports, Ibrahim went on to ask for the government and officials to find him a sponsor before competing for the 2020 summer Olympics.