Alaaeldin Abouelkassem

{{Infobox fencer

| name = Alaaeldin Abouelkassem

| image = File:Alaaeldin Abouelkassem Challenge Revenu 2013.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Abouelkassem at the Challenge Revenu 2013

| birth_name =

| fullname = Alaaeldin Mohamed El-Sayed Abouelkassem

| nickname =

| nationality = Egyptian

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|11|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Sétif, Algeria

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|1.88|m|ftin}}

| weight = {{convert|82|kg|lb}}

| weapon = foil

| hand = left-handed

| club =

| country = Egypt

| fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/18031 current ranking]

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|{{EGY}}}}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Alaaeldin Mohamed El-Sayed Abouelkassem ({{langx|ar|علاء الدين محمد السيد أبو القاسم}}; born 25 November 1990) is an Egyptian fencer who won a silver medal in the men's foil event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He took up fencing at the age of eight and, in 2008, began fencing internationally, winning medals at the African and World Junior Championships, as well as the Junior World Cup, before progressing to the senior level in 2011 and capturing bronze at the Fleuret de St-Petersbourg. Later that year, he earned gold medals at the 2011 Pan Arab Games in the individual and team foil events before progressing to the 2012 Summer Games, where he won Africa's first-ever Olympic fencing medal.

Early life

Abouelkassem was born on 25 November 1990{{cite web|last = Gjerde|first = Arild|author2=Jeroen Heijmans|author3=Bill Mallon|author4=Hilary Evans|title = Alaaeldin Abouelkassem Biography and Olympic Results|work = Olympics|publisher = Sports Reference.com|date = July 2012|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ab/alaaeldin-abouelkassem-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417230615/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ab/alaaeldin-abouelkassem-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2020-04-17|accessdate = 2012-07-31}} in Sétif, Algeria to an Egyptian father and an Algerian mother and moved to Egypt at the age of four. Growing up in Alexandria, he first became athletically involved in swimming and karate{{cite news|script-title = ar:علاء أبوالقاسم.. بطل أولمبي بخلطة مصرية-جزائرية|language = Arabic|publisher = Middle East Broadcasting Center|date = 2012-08-08|url = http://www.mbc.net/ar/sports/miscellaneous/articles/%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85---%D8%A8%D8%B7%D9%84-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9.html|accessdate = 2012-08-06|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120806160539/http://www.mbc.net/ar/sports/miscellaneous/articles/%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85---%D8%A8%D8%B7%D9%84-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9.html|archive-date = 2012-08-06|url-status = dead}} before beginning his training in fencing aged eight in the city's Al-Selah Al-Sakandry club. After successes in the sport at a young age, he was forced to give it up upon entering the Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport, as the program was too demanding for him to pursue engineering studies and fencing. He was soon re-discovered by his former coach, Mohamed El-Sayed, who nominated him to join the national team.{{cite news|last=سلامة |first=أحمد |script-title=ar:اللاعب المصري علاء السيد أول أفريقي و عربي يحرز ميدالية أولمبية في رياضة سلاح الشيش |language=Arabic |publisher=Sport Free |date=2012-08-01 |url=http://www.sport-free.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=220 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112021113/http://www.sport-free.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=220 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-12 |accessdate=2012-08-03 }}

Career

Abouelkassem's international career began in 2008, when he captured a gold medal in foil fencing at the African Junior Championships and bronze at the World Junior Fencing Championships in Italy, in addition to one third-place finish at the Junior Fencing World Cup. At the 2009 Junior Fencing World Cup, he earned another third-place win and followed up with gold one year later at the 2010 World Junior Fencing Championships. He earned his first World Cup medal as a senior, bronze, at the 2011 Fleuret de St-Petersbourg, and captured gold at the 2011 Pan Arab Games in the individual and team foil events.{{cite web|title = Fencing Sport Related Information|work = Sports|publisher = Arab Games Doha|date = December 2011|url = http://rs.arabgames2011.qa/ENG/ZZ/ZZS103A_FE@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ENG.htm|accessdate = 2012-07-31|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120515155857/http://rs.arabgames2011.qa/ENG/ZZ/ZZS103A_FE%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40%40ENG.htm|archivedate = 2012-05-15}}

Abouelkassem qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics and entered the individual foil event in the round of 32, defeating American Miles Chamley-Watson 15–10. He had the same result against Peter Joppich of Germany and Andrea Cassarà of Italy in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively, before moving on to defeat Choi Byung-Chul of South Korea 15–12 in the semi-finals. Abouelkassem lost the gold medal match 13–15 to Lei Sheng of China, but the silver medal he won was the first Olympic fencing medal for a competitor representing an African nation.{{cite news|title = Fencing: Egypt's Abouelkassem makes history after stunning progress|author = Badr, Doaa|author2 = Maher, Hatem|url = http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/38/131/49230/London-/News/Fencing-Egypts-Abouelkassem-makes-history-after-st.aspx|newspaper = Al-Ahram|date = 2012-08-01|accessdate = 2012-08-01}} He also participated in the team foil event, where the British team eliminated the Egyptians by a score of 45–33 in the opening round.{{cite news|last = Maher|first = Hatem|title = Egypt's silver medallist fencer apologises after team defeat|newspaper = Al-Ahram|date = 2012-08-05|url = http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/38/131/49658/London-/News/Egypt%E2%80%99s-silver-medallist-fencer-apologises-after-t.aspx|accessdate = 2012-08-06}}

At the 2013 Mediterranean Games, Abouelkassem won a bronze medal in the individual foil.{{cite news|title = Eskrimde İtalyan fırtınası|language = Turkish|publisher = CNNTurk.com|date = 2013-06-24|url = http://www.cnnturk.com/2013/spor/diger.sporlar/06/24/eskrimde.italyan.firtinasi/712771.0/index.html|accessdate = 2013-06-30}} {{As of|2013}}, he is coached by Paul Kantorsky of Poland. At the 2015 African Games he won gold medals in the men's individual and team foil events.{{cite web|title=Fencing, medal table and full results |publisher=2015 African Games |date=2015-09-06 |url=http://www.cojabrazzaville2015.com/en/fencing-medal-table-and-full-results/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911203927/http://www.cojabrazzaville2015.com/en/fencing-medal-table-and-full-results/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-09-11 |accessdate=2015-09-22 }}