CAIRO - Egyptian squash stars have achieved another success, after capturing the World U-19 Championship for Individuals that ended recently in Belgium. Egypt's Marwan el-Shorbagy defeated his compatriot Mohamed Abul Ghar 3-0 in the final (11-6, 11-6, 11-8). Marwan, from Alexandria, grabbed the world junior title for the first time in his life, something he'd only dreamed of before. "I'm very happy, because I have achieved something I'd dreamed of since I was ten years old," Marwan, 17, told the Egyptian Mail. "I watched my elder brother Mohamed win the world title in 2008 and I really wanted to win it too.” Mohamed el-Shorbagy, born in 1991, is a professional squash player who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 9 in January 2011. He grabbed World Squash Championship in 2008 in Switzerland and in India in 2009. Marwan explained that the final game was very difficult. "This is because Mohamed Abul Ghar and I are close friends and know each other really well, as we've played together for the past ten years. "I still have one year in the youth category and the 2012 World Championship will be held on home soil in Egypt, so I really hope to win the title again," Marwan, who is studying in England, pointed out. Egypt dominated the World Youth Championships yet again, as Egypt's Ramy Ashour won the title in 2004 and in 2006, Mohamed el-Shorbagy won the title in 2008 and in 2009, and Amr Khaled in 2010. "Last year was the starting point for me, when I participated in the World Junior U-17 Championships in England and I grabbed the title," Marwan, who started playing squash at the age of seven, said. He added that this year the competition was fierce. "There were 64 players in the tournament, yet, despite the competition, the four players who made it to the semi-finals were all Egyptians.” The teenager defeated his compatriot Mazen Hesham 3-0 in the semi-final before beating his friend Mohamed Abul Ghar by the same scoreline in the final. "If I win the 2012 title in Egypt, it will be the first time in the world that two brothers have each grabbed the World Youth Championship twice," he added enthusiastically.
Full support Marwan started preparing for this year's tournament directly after the end of last year's championships, in England, and he found full support from both his school management in England and from the Egyptian Squash Federation (ESF). Marwan dreams of squash becoming an Olympic game. "In this case, I'm sure Egypt will snatch at least five medals. I always try to enjoy myself. I play every match as though my life depended on it," he said. "Marwan has just finished his school in England, where he was a boarder, and next year he'll go to university there," Madame Basma, Marwan's mother, told the Egyptian Mail, proudly adding that Marwan spends all his time studying and training. "I hope my son will win the tournament in Egypt next year and then the World Senior Championship," Basma added. Egypt's runner-up in the World Championship, Mohamed Abul Ghar, said he was delighted that his compatriot Marwan won trophy, but regretted that he didn't play better in the final. "I was happy to reach the U-19 World Championship for the first time, but I'm sorry about my performance," Mohamed told the Egyptian Mail. The 17-years old star added that he didn't play at his best, because he was tired from the semi-final the previous day. "Of course, Marwan played very well," explained Mohamed, who reached the final after defeating last years' champion, compatriot Amr Khaled, 9-11, 11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-9 in 70 minutes. "By participating in this first World Championship [for me], I have gained some valuable experience that will help me in coming events," Mohamed explained. Something unprecedented "Egypt's junior squash players have done something unprecedented in the history of Egyptian squash," Ashraf, Mohamed's father, told the same paper. Ashraf was referring to the fact that every player in the semis was Egyptian. "Egypt's juniors occupied the first four places in the World Championship," an emotional Ashraf explained to the Mail. In the past 20 years, no four players from the same country have reached the semi-finals of the World Championship. The last time was in 1991, when four players from England achieved this very rare clean sweep. "It's a great feeling when you see four young men from your country in the semi-finals of such a big championship," added Ashraf, who was supporting Mohamed in Belgium. Nassef George, the general manager of the Egyptian Squash Federation (ESF), expressed his happiness at what the Egyptian juniors have achieved, stressing that this comes as a result of all the elements of the game found in Egypt. "We are honoured to congratulate our juniors on what they have achieved," Nassef told the Mail. "We also thank everyone who did so much to help them achieve this, including the Federation President Galal Allam, the coaches and the players' families and the Egypt's National Sports Council.” The talented official explained that Egypt's national team for men are preparing for the World Teams Championship due to be held in Germany in the middle of this month. "Our team will consist of Ramy Ashour, Karim Darwish, Amr Shabana and Mohamed el-Shorbagy, coached by Amir Wagih," he pointed out. Nour beats Nour Egypt's squash star Nour el-Tayyeb, meanwhile, captured the gold medal at the Women's World Junior Championship held in Boston, US last week, beating her teammate Nour el-Sherbini in the final. Nour el-Tayyeb crushed her compatriot at the final 11/5, 3/11, 11/7, 11/8. They qualified for the final round after el-Tayyeb defeated their colleague Salma Hani, while el-Sherbini beat their compatriot Nouran el-Turki. The Egyptian national team also grabbed the title of the 22nd Arab Squash Championship that ended last week in Alexandria, defeating Kuwait 3-0 in both the U-15 and U-19 finals. The tournament witnessed the participation of six Arab countries: Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq and of course the host country, Egypt. In the under-15 category, Egypt won first place and the title, while Kuwait came second, Jordan third, Saudi Arabia fourth and Qatar fifth. In the under-19 category, Egypt won first place and the title, while Kuwait came second, Iraq third, Qatar fourth and Saudi Arabia fifth. Egypt's U-15 juniors, meanwhile, won the individual titles. Karim Tareq won gold, beating his teammate Abdel-Rahman Zaher 3-1 in the final, while Hani Moustafa came third, beating Kuwait's Ahmed Issa 3-0. Egypt's U-19 juniors also won the individual titles of the tournament. Fares el-Dessouqi won gold after beating his teammate Islam Adel 3-0 in the final, while Ahmed Hani came third, beating Qatar's Abdullah Tamimi 3-0. Four Egyptians Osama Khaled, Haidi Lala, Youssef Ibrahim and Nadine Quos grabbed the titles in the Junior (U-13 and U-17) World Championship, held in Germany from June 30 to July 4. Osama Khalid Khalifa has won the U-17 title for boys; Haidi Lala captured the U-17 title for girls, Youssef Ibrahim won the U-13 title for boys; and Nadine Quos the U-13 title for girls.
