#Egypt at #Paris #Paralympics2024: Nadia Fekry ends the Paralympics with a bronze medal and a celebration to remember.

As is often the case, the Paris 2024 Paralympics concluded quietly on Sunday, but our Egyptian Paralympic champions made sure to keep us proud and happy until the very end.

Egyptian para powerlifting champion Nadia Fekry secured a bronze medal in the women’s 86kg category, marking a memorable finale for Team Egypt.

Fekry claimed her medal on her second attempt, successfully lifting 145 kilograms, although she was unable to lift 154 kilograms in her final attempt.

Her celebration after winning the bronze medal was one for the books—an iconic moment that stood out in this year’s games.

زغروطة التتويج

لحظة تتويج البطلة البارالمبية نادية فكري بالميدالية البرونزية في رفع الأثقال البارالمبي️‍♀️#Paris2024 | #Paralympics2024 | #الألعاب_البارالمبية pic.twitter.com/TYjWpqhH7g

— الرياضة مش كورة وبس (@EgyptAllSports) September 8, 2024

It’s hard to recall any other Arab athlete celebrating so passionately in this edition of the Summer Games, be it the Olympics or the Paralympics.

This is the fourth Paralympic medal in Fekry’s career, which began in 1995. She won her first bronze in the 67.5kg weightlifting category at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

In Athens 2004, she earned her first silver in the 145kg category. Four years later, at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, Fekry added another bronze to her collection by lifting 150kg.

After taking a break from international competitions, she returned triumphantly in Paris 2024.

At 50, Nadia Fekry is Egypt’s oldest para powerlifting and weightlifting medalist and champion.

Her journey is nothing short of inspirational. Paralyzed at just 11 months old after falling down stairs, life wasn’t easy for young Nadia. She lost her father early on, yet that didn’t deter her.

Fekry excelled academically, graduating with a degree in history from the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University.

It was during her university years that she discovered para powerlifting—and the rest is history.

In her interviews, Fekry often shares glimpses of her personal life. She is married to Salah, a sitting volleyball player, and they have two sons, Mohamed and Eyad.

After her boys were born, Fekry took a break from competition to focus on her family, living with them in the El-Sayeda Zeinab district. Alongside being an athlete, she also works as an employee in a company.

Reflecting on her life, Fekry once said, "One of us could move a mountain, but we underestimate our own strength."

This quote captures the essence of her incredible journey.

Switching from para powerlifting to sitting volleyball, Egypt’s 2024 Paralympic bronze medal win in sitting volleyball brings us to another remarkable

Egyptian athlete: Matawa Abu El-Kheir.

A proud son of Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Abu El-Kheir earned a silver medal in discus throw at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, followed by a bronze at the London 2012 Games.

He later transitioned to sitting volleyball, winning bronze medals at the 2016 Rio and 2024 Paris Paralympics.

In addition to his Paralympic success, Abu El-Kheir holds three World Championship medals in athletics, including a gold in discus throw from the 2002 Lille World Championships, a silver in 2006, and a bronze in 2011.

Truly, he is an Egyptian legend with world-class achievements.

With Nadia Fekry’s latest bronze, Egypt’s total medal count at Paris 2024 reached seven, and it finished 41st in the overall standings.

Historically, Egypt remains the most successful Arab nation at the Paralympic Games, with a total of 190 medals (51 gold, 71 silver, and 68 bronze).

It is also the second-most successful African nation, behind South Africa, in both gold and total medal counts.