Despite limited resources, Egypt claimed the African wrestling championships in Morocco, Ghada Abdel-Kader reports Egypt won the African wrestling championships held in Casablanca, Morocco, claiming first place with 18 medals and 190 points. The tournament comprised freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling. Egypt won 10 gold medals, five silver and three bronze. Tunisia finished second with 169 points and 15 medals; nine gold, two silver and four bronze while Senegal came third with 76 points with two gold and one bronze. Algeria, Angola, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and South Africa took part in the three-day event. Tunisia won the women's event with 61 points, picking up four gold medals and one bronze as opposed to two gold, two silver and two bronze for Egypt which came second with 60 points. Senegal came third with one gold and one bronze medal for 47 points. In the women's event, Egypt's Doaa Maher in the 63- kilogramme weight category and Hayat Farag in 67kg won gold medals, while Fatma Mohamed, 48kg, and Mona Samir, 51kg, won silver. Rabab Eid, 55kg, and Inas Mustafa, 72kg, won bronze medals. Nadia Antar, 59kg, came in fifth. Egypt dominated the free wrestling event with five gold and two bronze with 66 points. Tunisia was second with 60 points, one gold two bronze and two silver, and South Africa came third with three silver and one bronze with 50 points. In the freestyle, Egyptian wrestlers Ibrahim Madani 60kg, Walid Nabil 74kg, Ahmed El-Absawi 84kg, Mustafa Emara 96kg and Ismail El-Dossuki 120kg won god medals. Wrestler Abdou Omar 66kg and Ibrahim Farag 55kg took bronze. In Greco-Roman, Mustafa Hassan 55kg, Sayed Abdel-Moniem 60kg and Yasser Abdel-Rahman struck gold. Mohamed Asharf 66kg and Ahmed El-Absawi 96kg won bronze ones while Mohamed Rabea 74kg and Ahmed Abdel-Sadek 84kg took silver medals. "Ahmed Abdel-Sadek is a promising wrestler," Executive Director of the Egyptian Wrestling Federation (EWF) Yehia Shahrour said. "Even though his weight is 74kg, it was the first time he plays in 84kg and wins a medal." Egypt claimed first place in Greco-Roman wrestling with 64 points while, Tunisia took second with 48 points and Algeria and Morocco landed third with points 42 points. Shahrour said the EWF had tested several wrestlers in order to choose the best in each weight category. A month before the tournament, the men's wrestlers trained in the Olympic centre in Maadi and the women in Ras El-Bar. "The senior African championship is one of the toughest in the continent, but we always participate and dominate the advanced levels," added Shahrour. All the wrestlers who won gold medals will participate in the Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy, from 25-30 June. Three wrestlers in Greco-Roman and five in freestyle wrestling will enter. "Wrestling is one sport that has achieved good results for Egypt but it needs more subsidisation from the National Sports Council," Shahrour added. The salary of the wresting coach of the national team is only LE1,000 while in other sports the coach takes LE25,000 monthly."
