ELSISSY Ziad

Personal Information

Family Wife Nouran Ahmed Gohar

Residence Stamford, CT, USA

Occupation Athlete, Coach

Languages Arabic, English

Higher education Mechanical Engineering - Wayne State University: Detroit, MI, USA

License number 15121994000

Club

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? He began fencing in Alexandria, Egypt.

Why this sport? "I took up basketball first because my family was involved in the sport, but my mother suggested I get involved in an individual sport like fencing."

Club / Team Tim Morehouse Fencing Club: United States

Name of coach Vincent Anstett [national], FRA

Handedness Right

General Interest

Hobbies Watching diving, basketball, volleyball, squash. (Body Koora YouTube channel, 23 Jun 2020)

Memorable sporting achievement Winning bronze in individual sabre at the 2022 World Cup event in Algiers, Algeria. (en.vogue.me, 03 Apr 2023)

Most influential person in career His father. (today.wayne.edu, 23 Jul 2021)

Hero / Idol Egyptian fencer Alaaeldin Abouelkassem, US basketball player Michael Jordan. (Body Koora YouTube channel, 23 Jun 2020)

Sporting philosophy / motto "Dream, and believe in your dream, but make sure you train well and take it step by step. As long as you do what you need to do, things will happen. Believe that you can do it and you will do it." (Body Koora YouTube channel, 23 Jun 2020)

Awards and honours In 2022 he was presented with the First Class Sports Medal in Egypt. (Facebook page, 19 Sep 2022)

In 2015 he received First Team All-Midwest Fencing Conference honours, and Second Team All-American honours while studying at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, United States of America. (wayne.edu, 16 Jun 2015)

In 2013 and 2014 he was named in the Athletic Director's Honour Roll at Wayne State University. (wsuathletics.com, 2015)

Milestones He became the first fencer representing Egypt to win a medal in an individual competition at the world championships when he claimed bronze in individual sabre at the 2023 edition of the tournament in Milan, Italy. (shorouknews.com, 26 Jul 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 07 May 2024)

Famous relatives His father played basketball for the Egyptian national team. His wife Nouran Ahmed Gohar has represented Egypt in squash. She won gold in the women's team competition at 2016, 2018 and 2022 editions of the world teams championships. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 May 2024; youm7.com, 05 Dec 2020; Body Koora YouTube channel, 23 Jun 2020; wsuathletics.com, 10 Jun 2017)

Ambitions To win a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. (The National News YouTube channel, 25 Mar 2024; shorouknews.com, 13 Nov 2022)

Other information COLLEGIATE FENCING
He competed on the US collegiate circuit for Wayne State University [WSU] in Detroit, Michigan, for four years before graduating in 2018. He was scouted by WSU coach Jerzy Radz after he left high school. "My family had a common friend who knew coach Jerzy. My father called him and he said it was a really good school and that coach Jerzy was a really good coach, and he recommended me going there. I graduated from high school in Egypt and went straight to Wayne State, so it was not a very smooth transition. I was used to being away from home and travelling for fencing competitions and camps. But all of the sudden, you're changing everything. You're living by yourself, in a different country, where they speak a different language. Everything was different." (today.wayne.edu, 23 Jul 2021; wsuathletics.com, 01 Aug 2018)

COACHING
He has worked as a coach at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in the United States of America. "I decided to move to New York [after graduating from Wayne State University in 2018] because New York has the best sabre training in the US. I talked to Tim about coming to the club and training and he was very welcoming. That's how it started." (The National News YouTube channel, 25 Mar 2024; Facebook profile, 18 Sep 2021; timmorehousefencing.com, 19 Jul 2021; Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Facebook page, 06 Apr 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He has studied for a master's degree at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, United States of America. (The National News YouTube channel, 25 Mar 2024; today.wayne.edu, 23 Jul 2021; timmorehousefencing.com, 19 Jul 2021)