PARIS: Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez revealed that she competed at the Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant after she crashed out in the last 16 of the women's sabre individual event.
The 26-year-old, who was competing in her third Olympics, won her first match against USA's Elizabeth Tartakovsky but lost the second match 7-15 to Korean fencer Jeon Hayoung on Monday at the Grand Palais in the French capital.
"7 MONTHS PREGNANT OLYMPIAN !" Nada posted on Instagram few hours after her match. "What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!" the post further read.
"My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional. 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.
I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!
"I’m lucky to have shared the trust of my husband @ibrahimihab11 and that of my family to be able to come this far. This specific Olympics was different; Three times Olympian but this time carrying a little Olympian one!" it added.