CAIRO - She started swimming at the age of four, but then took a break before returning again to this challenging water sport at the age of 10, when she participated in the Egyptian National Championships. Although she has participated in two senior world championships, her best performances to date were in the 3rd World Junior Swimming Championships in Peru that ended last week. Farida Hisham Osman did Egypt proud in setting a new world record in these championships. Officials and experts say that she has done something unprecedented for Egyptian swimming. Farida made history and set a world record in grabbing the gold medal in the 50m butterfly with a time of 26.69 seconds. This helped Egypt reach 11th place in the medal charts, the highest place of any African or Arab country for a long time. "At first, I thought I'd come second, but when I saw my family laughing, I realised I'd won gold and first place in the junior worlds," Farida told The Egyptian Gazette. The talented butterfly swimmer really worked hard for the past three years. "Every day, I always had two training sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening," Farida, who wants to work in business one day, explained. "Although this wasn't the first time for me to participate in the junior world championships, this time the competition was very fierce," the Egyptian butterfly swimming sensation, who has also participated in two senior worlds in Rome and Dubai, added. Farida was the first Egyptian swimmer to rewrite the swimming world record books for more than 20 years by smashing the old record set by a South African swimmer, who swam the 50m butterfly in 26.70 seconds. The competition is open to girls aged 15-17 and boys aged 16-18. “We are really very proud of what our swimmer has done in Peru,” Yasser Idris, the President of the Egyptian Swimming Federation (ESF), told The Gazette. He described the 16-year-old star as a talented, promising swimmer, from whom the Federation expects more in the future; because of her enormous talent, she should win many more medals and do very well at the global level. “Before the tournament, I expected her to finish in the top eight. But she surprised me when she grabbed the world junior title in the 50m butterfly,” Idris told The Gazette. The 41-year-old official said that Farida impressed the world with her unique style at the tournament. “This has been achieved with all her hard work in training, especially during the pre-tournament preparation. "Because of what she has achieved, the ESF has asked the Egyptian Olympic Committee to include Farida in Egypt's champions project," Idris added, stressing that he has asked Mahmoud Shoukry, the manager of the champions project, to include Farida and many other talented swimmers in the project in the near future. This event, in which Farida, the ‘Butterfly of the Nile', participated, was marked by the first shared medal in the tournament, as Kendy Stewart of the USA grabbed silver with a time of 26.78 seconds, while bronze medals went to South African Vanessa Mohr and Canadian Chantal Van Landeghem who both clocked 26.85 seconds. The Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) is the international governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, synchronised swimming and open water swimming. The World Junior Swimming Championships are held every two years. The 2011 tournament was the third edition; the two previous championships were held in Brazil and Mexico. “The outside preparation programmes and championships have contributed much to developing Farida,” Idris told this paper. “This is the first time in Egyptian swimming history for an Egyptian to grab gold in a world championship; she really made history.” Idris pointed out the ESF has a policy of preparing a junior generation to support the national teams in the near future. “We are now the best in the Arab world and the second best in Africa after South Africa. And of course we at the ESF want our swimmers to do even better.” The 3rd World Junior Swimming Championships witnessed the participation of 528 swimmers (246 women and 282 men), representing 58 nations. The tournament came up with 42 new records, while 19 countries won medals. The United States dominated the medals standing with 11 golds, eight silvers and three bronzes, while the Japanese team won 19 medals (seven golds, nine silvers and three bronzes) and the Canadians earned 14 medals (four golds, five silvers and five bronzes). “Two weeks before the 3rd World Junior Swimming Championship, Farida started a preparation programme in Peru,” Idris explained. Idris, who has been ESF President since 2008, added that there are around 10,000 swimmers registered in the Federation, while there are thousands more young boys and girls who train independently in the clubs around the nation. “Our main aim in the near future is to offer our junior swimmers more opportunities to participate in championships abroad, in order to gain more experience, so they can qualify for the national teams,” the respected official said. Idris stressed that Egypt's future is bright, as the squad has many talented, promising swimmers. "The national teams have many swimmers who have the potential to break records. As well as Farida Osman, we have the likes of Shehab Mohamed, Shahd Osman, Ihab el-Far, Reem Kassem and Yara Emad.” Farida's family have also played an important role in supporting Egypt's golden girl. Her parents, Hisham Osman and Associate Professor Randa el-Salawi, are both dentists. "Farida is working hard in training. We thank God for all His blessings. She's done really well. She's making history," Hisham Osman told The Egyptian Gazette. Osman, himself an ex-Egyptian swimmer, said that the most important thing is enthusiasm. "Swimming needs motivation and it's something Farida has in spades. She really deserves what she has achieved," the 45-year-old father told this paper. Farida is a pupil at the Cairo American College in Maadi, southern Cairo, while her brother Ahmed, 20, is living and studying in California, US. "When I saw the Egyptian flag in the championships in Peru, it was the happiest moment of my life," her talented father explained, adding that he is hoping for the best for Farida and Ahmed. Meanwhile, Egypt's Synchronised Swimming National Team has already qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, after they did so well at last month's world championships in China. Farida, who trains at the Gezira Sporting Club, has been coached by a Ukrainian for the past three months. “Farida has made history by braking a world record,” Islam el-Sanhouri, the Board Chairman of Al-Gezira Sporting Club, one of Egypt's top clubs, told The Egyptian Gazette. “She really has a lot of potential that can be developed.” El-Sanhouri added that Farida holds many senior national and African records. “Her family are very sportive. They have done much to support this talented girl, helping her with her advice and experience. Her parents must take all of the credit for her great success. The club is now searching for a sponsor for Farida,” El-Sanhouri added. “Her father was a swimmer and her grandfather was also a swimming champion. Her uncle, Alaa Osman, is a tennis champion. The family are very skilled at sports,” el-Sanhouri told The Gazette. At 11th Pan Arab Games, Farida broke the Arab record for the 50m butterfly, making her the youngest Egyptian and Arab athlete to ever win the event and break the record. Farida also finished sixth in the 100m butterfly. "It's been a great experience participating in this global tournament," Farida said. "It's also given me a lot of confidence for the future.”
