After her elimination from all the events in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Egyptian swimmer Farida Osman kept her head high while reacting to her participation in the international event on Saturday, confirming she will keep pushing to regain the golden old days. The 26-year-old Osman was eliminated from all the events in the Tokyo Games after she failed to reach the semis of the Women's 100m Butterfly event, finishing in 20th place in the overall ranking. She also finished 33rd in the Women's 100m Freestyle event before ending her mission in the Olympic Games in 24th place in the Women's 50m Freestyle event early on Friday, returning home with no medals. Osman made her first Olympic appearance in London in 2012 at the age of 17 but could only finish in 42nd place in the 50m freestyle event. She reached the semis at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. "I am so proud and honoured to have represented Egypt for the third time in the Olympic Games. It's any athlete's dream to be able to qualify for this event, to stand among the world's greats," Osman said via her twitter account on Saturday. "This is what it is all about: hard work, perseverance, performance, and participating." "The Olympics pushed me in the past few years to better my performance and reach some of my, and Egypt's, record highs so far. For me, it is heartbreaking that I wasn't able to perform at my best and usual during this year's races. But as an athlete, I know to make this obstacle an opportunity for growth, learning, and progress," she added. "An athlete is not defined by a single performance. It's the discipline, mindset, sacrifices, and hard work they put in that define both their character and career. I'm still keeping my head high and believing in myself," the Egyptian swimmer said. "I want to thank my coaches, team, family, friends, sponsors, the Egyptian Federation, the Olympic Committee, and my management team. Thank you the most to all the fans that have supported me, helped me reach these heights, and have been there through the ups and downs." "I hope I can continue to represent and push forward Egyptian swimming and to keep getting stronger, faster, and better," Osman added. "I salute every single athlete at the Olympics. It's the hardest thing anyone can do in sports. Best of luck to the remaining athletes competing next!" Osman concluded. The Olympic swimmer started swimming at the age of four and represented Egypt at the 2011 FINA Junior World Championships before becoming an Olympian at the age of 17, when she was invited to the 2012 London Olympic Games. Osman, who started her career at Cairo's Gezira Club, came under the spotlight after finishing 7th in the 2013 Barcelona World Championships, marking the best result Egypt has ever achieved in a world swimming championship. A major switch in her career occurred when she joined the University of California in 2013 to train with the Cal squad. The Egyptian butterfly gave Egypt its first-ever medal by winning a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly event at the World Championship in Budapest in 2017. She was chosen as the Best Female athlete from Africa in the same year. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
