Success is a word that inspires and can touch the hearts and minds of millions. However, in order to attain it, setting goals and single-minded determination are often necessary. You must have strength, persistence, be ready for hard work and be able to accept defeat and stand up again. Success is also cumulative: it doesn't come all of a sudden. Also, it is not tied to a certain age. All these things can be seen in the career of Egyptian swimming champion Nagwa Ghorab, now in her seventies and still competing and the perfect example of a woman who has been able to break all the rules and rise above life's challenges to fulfill her dream in swimming. She has won dozens of medals in national and international championships as the best swimmer over the age of 70. She has received medals in nine international championships, one of which was the World Masters Championships in Montreal where she received medals in the 70-74 age group. She also won medals in the National Championships in North Carolina in the US in the same age group, and she was ranked third in the World Championships in Kazan in Russia in 2015 in her age group. Ghorab's passion for swimming started with the Egyptian Championships when she was just four years old, and it has lasted into her mid-seventies. Now 76 years old, she is preparing to compete for the 2019 World Championships in South Korea. “I can't deny the support my family gave me. My father used to take me every day to the club for swimming sessions from the time I was four years old. He believed in me, and he saw how good I was, especially in backstroke. He believed that one day I would compete in the World Championships, and he was right,” Ghorab says. “I won several championships in Egypt at the ages of 14 and 16. At 18, there were no more competitions for juniors in Egypt, but I never stopped swimming. Later in life, I had the chance to compete in the Masters Championships, which allow juniors and seniors to compete in national and international competitions. This was a dream come true – to represent Egypt at international championships – and I have been able to participate and to win in five world swimming events,” she added. Ghorab said that to be able to excel at something, you must be able to accept defeat and have a will of steel to stand up and compete again. “I remember in 2017 in the French Championships, I was defeated by the French champion. After the competition, I went to her lane and said ‘wait for me next year. I am coming back.' I did, and I succeeded. In 2018, I won gold medals for the 50 metres and the 100 metres backstroke and free style.” She adds that recipes for success can be adopted at any age, and it is never too late to succeed. The support one receives from close ones, whether family or friends, is crucial as well, she says. “But everybody should be able to depend on himself or herself and have confidence in their capabilities,” she explains. “Persistence is another crucial factor for success. Success is created by your own hands, and life is full of challenges. You should be persistent enough not to let those challenges pull you down, whether they are financial or social. If you believe in yourself and believe you can do it, you will do it,” Ghorab says. Commitment is another key element for success, including being committed to small goals in order to reach bigger ones. Having respect for time is crucial, including setting out what should be accomplished exactly in one month without procrastination. In swimming, a second can make all the difference in rank. Hard work is fundamental, as you can never succeed without hard work and being committed to constantly working on yourself, Ghorab says. “Another important point I would like to add is that in order to succeed you must never pay attention to negative critiques that will pull you down. You must filter them out and never let them get at you,” she insists. By following these precepts, Ghorab has been able to challenge her age, since she believes that age is no obstacle to fulfilling what she has a passion for in life. She explains that every human being must adopt a positive perspective on life, as no matter how things can go wrong there is always a positive outlook to consider in every situation. Ghorab has been honoured on several occasions in Egypt, the last time being in 2017 at the Cairo Opera House where she was identified as a leading female role model.
