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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 March 1999 Issue No. 422 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 March 1999 Issue No. 422
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Hammerlock win for Egypt
By Eman Abdel-MoetiEgyptian wrestlers hoarded the gold medals and claimed two titles over the weekend. At the 19th Ibrahim Mostafa tournament, Egypt won with 139 overall points. And at the ninth Arab Juniors Championship, Egypt took first place with 175 points. Both tournaments took place at the Cairo Stadium Indoor Complex.
In the junior championship, Egypt beat out Syria, which ended up with 162 points. Saudi Arabia shared third place with Tunisia in a 96-point tie, followed by Jordan and Palestine.
In the Graeco-Roman event, Egypt's juniors swept every gold medal in the nine divisions. Syria came in second place with six silver and a bronze while Saudi Arabia came in third with two silver and three bronze.
In the free events, Egypt fared almost as good, winning five gold medals, three silver and one bronze. Syria followed with four gold medals, three silver and two bronze, while Tunisia took third place with one silver and four bronze medals. The free event saw some of the fiercest competition, coming as it did after Egypt had all but demolished its rivals in Graeco-Roman. Still, the Egyptian juniors managed to come out victorious.
The exceptional talents of El-Sayed El-Miligi in the 50kg division in free wrestling and Ashraf El-Gharably in the 69kg division in Graeco-Roman kept fans enthralled. El-Gharably had an especially successful tournament, defeating Syria's Zakaria Nashed, the Arab and Asian champion in his weight category.
Experts say that the youngsters Egypt now has can lead it to big things in the 2004 Olympics. Representatives from the International Wrestling Federation who monitored the championship were impressed with the high standard and stamina the juniors showed compared with their Arab counterparts and said Egypt would soon become an international contender with such outstanding budding talents.
Egypt's performance in the Ibrahim Mostafa tournament was no less impressive. Attracting eight countries -- the Ukraine, Austria, the Czech Republic, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, South Africa and Egypt -- the hosts came first, followed by Syria trailing by 15 points. Ukraine came in third with 121 points.
Egypt's three gold medals in each of the Graeco-Roman and free events won it the title. Khaled Farag and Yasser Saleh won their free wrestling gold with effort to spare while Mohamed El-Kon, in Graeco-Roman, took the gold by the skin of his teeth, beating Ukraine's Alexander Bokerove in points. The Egyptian and the Ukrainian provided spectators with an unforgettable match since until the last minute it appeared El-Kon was on the verge of losing, a result which might have landed Egypt in second place.
Mohamed El-Dakroury, president of the Arab Wrestling Federation, expressed his satisfaction with the accommodations and judging in both tournaments. Nearly 40 international judges refereed the two championships and were probably thankful that not a single complaint was lodged by any of the 340 wrestlers who participated.
There was not a better time to announce the retirement of Egypt's star Olympic player, Mohie Abdel-Hareth. Abdel-Hareth gave his fans their money's worth, beating Syrian champion Mohamed El-Hayek in the final of the 97kg division to win in the Ibrahim Mostafa tournament. Abdel-Hareth was under pressure to postpone his decision to retire until after the Arab and African Seniors Championships, but preferred to call it a day while on top of his game. "I won today and I'm afraid I might not win the next time I play, so it's better to retire now with a victory," Abdel-Hareth said as the 550 spectators who attended his final match cheered him on. .
