Olympian fencer Nada Hafeez on competing while pregnant: “Balancing life and sport was nothing short of a tough task”

The Paris Olympics 2024 will see the best of international sports competing on a global stage. Some of them are competing twice as hard. Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez is a great example of this. In her latest post on Instagram, the 26-year-old revealed that she qualified for the Round of 16 at the Summer Olympics, that too while she was pregnant. However, she lost to South Korea’s Jeon Hyang this week. Nada elaborated on the challenges of competing at the Olympics, which was made even more difficult because she did it when she was 7 months into her pregnancy, and declared it as a “7-month pregnant Olympian”.

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In the caption of the post, she wrote, “You see two athletes on the podium, but in reality it was three! Me, my competitor and my little baby yet to come into our world!” She talked about the normal difficulties of pregnancy, which was exemplified in her athletic journey, saying, “My baby and I faced many challenges, whether physical or emotional. The ups and downs of pregnancy are difficult in themselves, but the struggle to maintain a balance between life and sport was very difficult, but worth it.” According to Nada, she has previously competed in the sport of saber for Egypt at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. Her husband has been with her on her journey, about which she wrote, “I am lucky to have the trust of my husband @ibrahimihab11 and my family and I was able to reach here.”

Concluding, Nada said, “This Special Olympics was different; three times *Olympian*, but this time giving birth to a little Olympian!” It was a life-changing experience, showing how she maintained a balance between a demanding sporting career and impending motherhood.

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