Previous names
Abdelrahman Elgamal
Occupation
Athlete
Spoken languages
English, Turkish
Club
Savkar Jimnastik Spor Kulubu: TĂĽrkiye
Coach
Yilmaz Goktekin [national]
Injuries
He sustained a shoulder injury during the rings exercise at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland, and was forced to withdraw early from the all-around competition. (thegymter.net, 19 Oct 2021)
He sustained a foot injury during the 2020 European Championships in Mersin, Turkiye. The injury meant he could not compete on the floor or vault in the team competition. Despite his injury he still claimed a silver medal with the Turkish team. (thegymter.net, 14 Dec 2020)
Start sporting career
He took up the sport at age four in Alexandria, Egypt.
Reason for taking up the sport
"After being introduced to gymnastics, my dreams were always about gymnastics. I always wanted to watch all the legends who came before me, write my name in history, and create my own legacy."
Milestones
He became the first artistic gymnast representing Turkiye to win a gold medal in the individual all-around competition at the European championships when he was victorious at the 2023 edition of the tournament in Antalya, Turkiye. (SportsDeskOnline, 30 Aug 2023; olympics.com, 13 Apr 2023)
Ambitions
To win a medal at the Olympic Games. (gymnastics.sport, 10 Jan 2023)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 24 Sep 2021)
Awards
He was named Male Gymnast of the Year for 2022 by European Gymnastics. (European Gymnastics Facebook page, 14 Jun 2023; trthaber.com, 14 Jun 2023)
He was named Athlete of the Year for 2022 at the Gillette National Sports Awards in Turkiye. (Instagram profile, 04 May 2023; cnnturk.com, 04 May 2023)
Additional information
FROM EGYPT TO TURKIYE
He began competing for Turkiye in 2020, having moved there in 2018. He previously represented Egypt, the country of his birth, and was unable to compete internationally for two years before becoming eligible to represent Turkiye. "Those two years really were so tough for me, because my coach was pushing me really hard to get better every day, even if I didn't have competition. It was really hard. But now I can say that the biggest support for me was my family. I was 18 years old and they told me, 'Okay, if you see your future there [Turkiye], you can go'. I left everything. But I always pushed myself to work harder, because I knew that I wanted to do something new." (gymnastics.sport, 10 Jan 2023; dailysabah.com, 29 Dec 2022; mobtada.com, 03 Aug 2021; thegymter.net, 23 Apr 2021, 14 Dec 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 15 Dec 2020)
Last update : 2024-07-22
32
0
123