The Olympics have given us thrilling moments and stories of inspiration, but the story of Nada Hafez might be hard to top.
On Monday, the Egyptian fencer upset former NCAA champion Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the United States to reach the round of 16 in women’s saber, before losing to South Korea’s Jeon Hayoung.
But it wasn’t the loss that was the most surprising result. Instead, it was Hafez revealing on Instagram that she had been competing while seven months pregnant.
“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,” posted the fencer. “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!”
Hafez is a former gymnast and 3x Olympian who won gold medals at the 2019 African Games in both individual and team saber events.
Her strength and commitment to competing while pregnant is reminiscent of the performance Serena Williams put forth at the Australian Open in 2017, which she won while two months pregnant.
“A lot of people don’t realize that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017,” wrote Serena in Vogue while announcing her retirement in 2022.
Hafez now joins the ranks of Serena and other athlete mothers who continue to perform at a high level while pregnant.
And for the Egyptian fencer to do it on the world’s largest stage makes it even more special.
“This specific Olympics was different,” wrote Hafez. “Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian one!”
Congrats to Nada Hafez and he family!
