Alaaeldin Abouelkassem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alaaeldin Abouelkassem |
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Abouelkassem at the Challenge Revenu 2013
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Alaaeldin Mohamed El-Sayed Abouelkassem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 November 1990 Sétif, Algeria |
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| Nationality | Egyptian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Egypt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Fencing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weapon | foil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hand | left-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIE ranking | current ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Alaaeldin Mohamed El-Sayed Abouelkassem (born on November 25, 1990) is an Egyptian fencer. He is famous for winning a silver medal in the men's foil event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. This was a very special moment because it was the first Olympic fencing medal ever won by an athlete from an African country.
Alaaeldin started fencing when he was eight years old. He quickly became very good at it. Before his Olympic success, he won many medals in junior competitions. He also won gold medals at the 2011 Pan Arab Games.
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Early Life and Starting Fencing
Alaaeldin Abouelkassem was born in Sétif, Algeria, on November 25, 1990. His father was Egyptian, and his mother was Algerian. When he was four years old, his family moved to Egypt.
He grew up in Alexandria. At first, he tried sports like swimming and karate. But then, at age eight, he started fencing at a club called Al-Selah Al-Sakandry. He showed great talent in fencing from a young age.
Later, when he started studying engineering, he had to stop fencing for a while. His studies were very demanding. However, his old coach, Mohamed El-Sayed, found him again. The coach helped him join the national fencing team.
Alaaeldin's Fencing Journey
Alaaeldin's international fencing career began in 2008. He won a gold medal at the African Junior Championships. He also earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Fencing Championships in Italy. That year, he also got a third-place finish at the Junior Fencing World Cup.
In 2009, he won another third-place medal at the Junior Fencing World Cup. A year later, in 2010, he won a gold medal at the World Junior Fencing Championships.
Becoming a Senior Fencer
In 2011, Alaaeldin started competing at the senior level. He won his first World Cup medal, a bronze, at the Fleuret de St-Petersbourg event. Later that year, he won two gold medals at the 2011 Pan Arab Games. He won gold in both the individual foil and the team foil events.
Olympic Success in 2012
Alaaeldin qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He competed in the individual foil event. He won his first match against Miles Chamley-Watson from the United States. He then defeated Peter Joppich from Germany and Andrea Cassarà from Italy.
In the semi-finals, he won against Choi Byung-Chul from South Korea. This meant he reached the gold medal match! He faced Lei Sheng from China and lost 13–15. Even though he didn't win gold, his silver medal was historic. It was the first Olympic fencing medal for any African country.
Alaaeldin also took part in the team foil event at the 2012 Olympics. The Egyptian team was eliminated by the British team in the first round.
After the Olympics
After his Olympic success, Alaaeldin continued to compete. At the 2013 Mediterranean Games, he won a bronze medal in the individual foil event. His coach at that time was Paul Kantorsky from Poland.
In 2015, he competed at the 2015 African Games. He won two more gold medals there. He won gold in both the men's individual foil and the team foil events. He continued his success at the 2019 African Games, winning two more gold medals in individual and team foil. In 2024, he won a gold medal in team foil and a bronze medal in individual foil at the African Fencing Championships in Casablanca.
See also
In Spanish: Alaaeldin Abouelkassem para niños
