MANILA, Philippines — Egyptian sabre fencer Nada Hafez earned a lot of attention after exiting the Paris Olympics when she revealed she was seven months pregnant during her time competing.
Hafez was victorious against the United States’ Elizabeth Tartakovsky, but lost to South Korea’s Jeon Ha-young in the Round of 16 of the Women’s Individual Sabre event.
Ha-young would end up winning a silver medal with her compatriots in the Women’s Team Sabre event.
Following her win against Tartakovsky to officially mark her third Olympic appearance, the 26-year-old Hafez revealed on social media she was indeed expecting.
“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” Hafez wrote in an Instagram post.
The fencer admitted facing physical and emotional challenges, the pregnancy a difficulity on its own, but kept on balancing being an athlete and mother-to-be.
Hafez expressed her gratitude to her husband Ibrahim Ihab and the rest of her family for helping her best finish at the Olympics, having only placed 36th in Rio de Janeiro and 29th in Tokyo.
“This specific Olympics was different; Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian one!” her post ended.
In a separate post, Hafez also thanked gynecologist Dr. Omar Abdelazis, coincidentally the doctor oversaw her husband’s birth, for his “trust and sound judgment” to be able to compete.
The Philippines had fencer Samantha Catantan competing in the Women’s Individual Foil event, exiting in the Round of 32.
Filipino-American Lee Kiefer defended her gold medal in that event and was also part of the United States team that won the Women’s Team Foil event.
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