Egypt's first medal at the Athens Olympics came from the blue. Basel Mohieddin interviewed the bronze medalist The five medals that Egypt picked up at this summer's Athens Olympics broke a 20-year-old Games medal drought for the country. And the athlete who got the ball rolling in the Greek capital was boxer Mohamed El-Baz. His bronze in the 91kg light heavyweight division was Egypt's first medal since Mohamed Rashwan won a silver in judo in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In Athens, El-Baz had mixed fortunes. He was lucky enough to get by the first round without throwing a punch after his opponent defaulted. He was luckier still when after he injured his hand against his Uzbekistan challenger, he still managed to win a bronze even though he failed to play in the semi-final or final. This was thanks to a quirk in the points system in Olympic boxing which allows for a two-way tie for third place. Still, the injury, which he received after throwing a vicious right to the head, kept El-Baz from going further, possibly to a silver or even a gold medal. The injury, received in the qualifying stage of 16, did not prevent him from reaching the quarter-final against Adam Forsyth of Australia. "I knew this would be the end and that I would not be able to play the semi-final or final but all I cared about was winning a medal," El-Baz told Al-Ahram Weekly. "My hand was broken and I had to accept the situation." After Athens El-Baz became an instant celebrity. His face, along with his medal- winning colleagues, was plastered on huge billboards in many parts of the city and he was received by President Hosni Mubarak. His life had suddenly, without warning, changed dramatically. "I found that the public was highly appreciative of what I had done. I felt I had made them happy and I too felt really happy by all those who honoured me, especially by the president. "It was so nice to be able to meet the president. It was like a dream." El-Baz also got a kick out of the pictures, "especially the big one in Mohandesein and along the Corniche." But El-Baz, whose amateur status in boxing allows him -- or forces him -- to also work in the sports department of the giant industrial company the Arab Contractors, insists that the change in his life, from ordinary to super, was not hard and that all he did was just be himself. That would include knowing and acknowledging his roots. Al-Basateen youth centre is where El-Baz began his career in 1985 and where he still hangs out with old friends. Trained by Khamis Mohamed Awad and encouraged to pursue the sport by brother Reda El-Baz, El-Baz's first tournament was Cairo's junior championship in 1986. His first international entry was in the Military World Cup in Tunisia in 1994 where he won the bronze medal. El-Baz was not selected to play in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and in 2000 in Sydney he lost in the qualifiers. The double miss would explain why he was relatively old, at 31, when he won in Athens. He started preparing for Athens in 2001 by entering several championships, including the Mediterranean Games, the All- Africa Games and many training camps in the Ukraine, Russia, Jordan, Thailand, Romania and Syria. All the work eventually paid off. "I was the happiest person in the world when I won [in Athens]. It was by God's will. He gave me the strength to win." El-Baz is the strong, silent type, with thick black hair brushed back and a thick mustache. He is self-effacing, does not talk much and constantly points to the sky in reverence and gratitude. He needed all the divine help he could get because Al- Basateen does not strike one as being able to produce an Olympic champion. It's resources are skimpy at best and it is cramped. Members are either teenagers or between 30 to 40. The teens play sports while the older generation sip tea, joke and complain a lot. A mini soccer field is on the right as you enter, a boxing ring on the left -- without ropes -- a basketball court as you venture farther inside, and several rooms hosting social activities. One can only imagine how El-Baz and others would have fared had they trained at an early age in something more advanced than Al-Basateen. But El-Baz retains a strong affinity with Al-Basateen. As soon as you enter you can feel the impact he has made on the youngsters. They go up to him to shake his hand and look up to him as a hero. El-Baz, who has five-year-old Abdel- Rahman and four-month Noureddin, will probably continue to receive the adulation of children after his decision to open a boxing school. "The Arab Contractors have provided all what is needed to make this project successful," he said. "In five years time there will be boxers capable of playing in the first division in boxing and then they can play for the Egyptian national team." El-Baz does not intend to turn pro. "I'm happy the way I am." Aside from his medal, what makes El- Baz excited is what his Olympic win did for the sport. "Boxing is starting to find some interest from officials and also from the people."
