Home team Egypt collected 14 gold medals, with top powerlifters emerging winners during the three-day competition 06 Nov 2023
From astonishing displays of raw strength to emotional triumphs, the Cairo 2023 World Para Power lifting World Cup delivered a fantastic spectacle over the weekend, especially for the hosts.
Egypt, buoyed by the home crowd and led by world champion Rehab Ahmed, finished the competition as the most successful team, with their athletes triumphing in 14 out of 23 events.
Rehab lifted 134kg to grab the gold in her new category, women’s up to 55kg, adding 4kg to the weight of 130 kilograms that made her world champion for the fourth time in a row at the Dubai 2023 World Championships in August.
The Egyptian two-time Paralympic silver medallist also contributed with a 120kg lift in the mixed team event alongside her teammates Mohamed Elmenyawy and Mohamed Elelfat, who together scored 372.87 points, to carry Egypt’s flag to the top of the podium in the mixed team event.
Individually, Elmenyawy and Elelfat also contributed to the hosts’ gold medal haul; they lifted 190kg in the men’s, up to 59kg and 223kg in the men’s, up to 88kg.
Omaima Omar, Randa Mahmoud, and Safaa Hassan were other Egyptian powerlifters who collected gold in individual and team events. Together, they accumulated 287.66 points in the women’s team event by lifting 95kg, 125kg, and 120kg, respectively.
Separately, Hassan triumphed in the women’s up-to-73 kg with an effort of 127kg, while Mahmoud managed a successful lift of 132kg lift for the women’s 86kg honours, while Omar emerged the winner in the women’s 50kg with an effort of 103kg.
In their 14 gold-winning campaign in Cairo 2023, the home nation also had contributions from Fatma Korany and Nadia Ali in the women’s up to 61kg and over 86 kilograms, respectively, and from the men’s event – Taha Abdelmajid in the up to 54 kilograms, Mazhar Elsayed in the up to 80kg, and Mahmoud Attia in the up to 72kg categories, in addition to the men’s team composed by Fouad Mohamed, Abdelbaset Mousa, and Hassan Elattar.
