HAMZA Mohamed

Personal Information

Occupation Athlete, Engineer

Languages Arabic, English, French

Higher education Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering - Princeton University: United States

License number 11092000001

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? He began fencing at age six at the Salle Mauro Fencing Academy in Houston, TX, United States of America.

Why this sport? "I tried a lot of other sports beforehand and found fencing to be the most unique and exciting, plus both my parents were national team fencers for Egypt."

Name of coach Tamer Tahoun [national], EGY; Maher Hamza [father], EGY

Handedness Left

International Debut

Year 2015

Competing for Egypt

General Interest

Nicknames Young Pharaoh, Mo [his pre-school teacher called him Mo and it stuck since then]. (Athlete, 24 Jul 2021)

Hobbies Football, squash, watching sport. (Athlete, 24 Jul 2021)

Memorable sporting achievement Competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and ending the 2018/19 season ranked number one in the world in junior men's foil. (Athlete, 24 Jul 2021)

Most influential person in career His parents. (Athlete, 24 Jul 2021)

Hero / Idol Italian fencer Andrea Baldini. (Athlete, 24 Jul 2021)

Sporting philosophy / motto "What you invest into the sport is what you'll get out of it, so give it your all." (Athlete, 24 Jul 2021)

Awards and honours He was named Best Junior Athlete in Egypt for the 2019/20 season by the Egyptian Olympic Committee. (Facebook page, 30 Nov 2020)

Milestones He became the first male foil fencer representing Egypt to win gold at a World Cup event when he was victorious in individual foil at the 2023 World Cup event in Acapulco, Mexico. (egyptindependent.com, 08 May 2023; scenenow.com, 07 May 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 08 Jun 2023)

Famous relatives Both of his parents competed in fencing at national level in Egypt. His father Maher Hamza has coached the Egypt national fencing team. His sister Malak has represented Egypt in fencing, and competed in the individual foil and team foil events at the 2023 World Championships in Milan, Italy. (mailbd.net, 05 Apr 2022; mae.princeton.edu, 01 Nov 2021; al-ain.com, 21 Jan 2020; Athlete, 30 Jul 2018; awty.org, 27 Jun 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 07 May 2024)

Ambitions To compete at the Olympic Games in 2024 and 2028. (mae.princeton.edu, 01 Nov 2021)

Other information OCCUPATION
In 2023 he began working as a production engineer at Alu Afric, an Egyptian engineering company. He had previously undertook an internship at the same company in 2020. "I enjoyed seeing the theories we learn about [at university] put into real-world applications. It was interesting to see all different types of engineers involved in the process and how they all relied on each other to produce the final product. As engineers, we build and innovate as a team. If we fail, we fix it together and eventually we succeed." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Sep 2023; mae.princeton.edu, 01 Nov 2021)

COLLEGIATE FENCING
In 2018 he began studying for a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University in the United States of America. He decided to take a break from his studies in the 2019/20 season in order to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he placed seventh in the men's individual foil. "[During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020], it was very difficult. I had to stay focused with a lot of individual training and not lose track of my goals because we did not have any competitions that year. But when I look back now [speaking in 2021], I think it boosted my mentality when I got to the Olympics. A different level of drive and motivation came out in me that I never realised existed before. Princeton Fencing will forever have a place in my heart. The impact that this team has had on me is like no other." (Instagram profile, 29 Mar 2022; mae.princeton.edu, 01 Nov 2021; Space City Fencing Academy Facebook page, 03 Sep 2018)