Paris Olympics: Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed while 7 months pregnant

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PARIS — Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed that she competed at the Paris Olympics on Monday while seven months pregnant.

“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three!” Hafez wrote in an Instagram post. “It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!”

Hafez, 26, won her first-round match in the women’s saber competition on Monday morning, toppling American Elizabeth Tartakovsky by a score of 15-13. Korea’s Jeon Hayoung then eliminated Hafez in the round of 16, beating her 15-7.

Hafez represented Egypt in women’s saber at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, but she lost in the opening round both times. She celebrated her victory over Tartakovsky with a double fist pump and two huge roars.

It was important to Hafez to mention her pregnancy because she wanted to “shed light on the strength, perseverance and relentlessness of the Egyptian woman.”

“My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional,” Hafez said. “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.”

One callous commenter on Hafez’s Instagram post questioned if she should have stepped aside and allowed another Egyptian fencer to compete in her place.

“As a fan, how were you expected to win a medal being 7 months pregnant?” he wrote. “It’s a beautiful story of course but I want Egypt to win.”

The rest of the responses to Hafez’s announcement were universally positive.

Wrote another commenter, “Balancing between pregnancy and pursuing your passion is never easy, so you should be super proud of yourself regardless of the outcome. You’re setting such a good example for this little champ!”