IWF120y/3 – 1928: Egypt initiates successful tradition
The Egyptian Weightlifting Federation was the first African national body to be affiliated with the IWF in 1930, a time when its lifters were already shining in the international scene. Two years before, at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, El-Sayed Nosseir wins the first-ever gold (all sports included) for his nation, in the men’s light heavyweight category. It was the beginning of a successful story for the Land of the Pharaohs. Throughout the Olympic history, Egypt has earned 41 medals, with weightlifting being the most prolific sport, with 15 podium presences, including five titles (out of the overall nine). After Nosseir’s feats, Anwar Mesbah and Khadr El-Touni (both Olympic champions in 1936), but also Mahmoud Fayad and Ibrahim Shams (gold in 1948 for both) shone in the Games. More recently, Egyptian female lifters are also making the headlines at the highest level: Abeer Abdelrahman and Sara Samir (photo), who have a silver and a bronze medal each. Abdelrahman was second in London 2012 and third in Beijing 2008, while Samir was the runner-up in Paris 2024 and bronze medallist in Rio 2016. At the IWF World Championships level, Egypt is by far the most successful African nation, with a total of 42 (only Total) and 74 (Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Press, and Total) medals.
