Wayne State’s Elsayed approaches Olympic dream
DETROIT (BVM) — Wayne State University (WSU) fencer Ahmed Elsayed credits having a winning mindset and limiting pressure for his success in fencing.
This trait paced his impressive 2018-2019 season, where he won two championships, notched strong finishes in multiple international tournaments and put himself on a path of reaching a childhood dream: qualifying for the Olympics.
Elsayed credited his dad for attracting him to the sport when he was young. However, as he settled into fencing, Elsayed said he did endure some growing pains.
“At the beginning of my fencing path, I didn’t win much,” Elsayed said. “But my dad and the other coaches saw my talent.”
The fencer noted that once he experienced success, he knew he could be successful with the sport.
“I won my first medal when I was 10 years old, and from that moment I knew I would be good at fencing,” he said.
Elsayed is quick to note that the success of Wayne State’s fencing program, and the presence of long-time head coach, Jerzy Radz, influenced his decision to attend the school.
“I knew that Wayne State has a great team and a great coach, Jerzy Radz,” Elsayed said. “So, I was sure I was going to accomplish many achievements under his supervision.”
WSU’s fencing program has won 11 of the school’s 12 national championships, with 28 athletes winning individual national championships. The sport is the only one in the athletic program that competes against NCAA Division I competition.
“It is a big challenge to compete for NCAA Division I, one of the world’s most challenging competitions,” Elsayed said.
Notable opponents Elsayed has faced include Teddy Lombardo of Columbia University, who won a team national title in 2018-2019.
Additionally, Elsayed has competed against Eli Dershwitz, who was named the top-ranked fencer in the United States and competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
For international athletes, in addition to settling into a new area, adapting to how college sports are scored can be their biggest adjustment in their first year on the mainland.
Elsayed, however, posted a strong freshman season in 2018-2019 for the Warriors. He went 11-1 at the Midwest Fencing Championships to win the conference tournament. A few weeks later, he used a 9-1 record to win a regional event in South Bend, Ind., which earned him a bid to the 2019 NCAA championship.
At the event, Elsayed went 17-6 in the round-robin before suffering a 15-10 defeat to Lombardo in the semifinals. The result earned him first team All-American honors for a top-four finish.
He credited support throughout the athletic department for his successful first season.
“When I arrived at Wayne State, I found so much support from my coach, teammates and athletics,” Elsayed said. “They provided me with (everything) in every possible way to do well that season.”
A few months later, he competed in the FIE World Cup in Paris, France. Elsayed posted a top-15 finish in men’s epee, and competed in team competition for Egypt.
Following his performance in the World Cup, he posted a strong showing in the 2019 African Games in Morocco. Elsayed defeated Taya Kouadio of Ivory Coast in the opening round, Abussalam Abujtela of Libya in the quarterfinals and Mohammed Yasseen of Egypt to advance to the gold-medal match.
In that contest, Morocco’s Houssam El Kord narrowly defeated Elsayed 15-14 to win the tournament. Elsayed, however, did win a gold medal as Egypt defeated Ivory Coast, Libya and Morocco to win the team competition.
As he entered the 2019-2020 season, Elsayed faced a dilemma — begin his second year at Wayne State, or take a year off to focus on qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He noted that making the decision was not easy.
“It was tough for me to decide to redshirt and leave my academic life for a year, and only focus on the Olympics,” Elsayed said.
However, once he had the support of Radz to pursue his dream, the choice was easier to make.
“As a kid, I always had the dream to compete in the Olympics; it is the biggest dream for any athlete,” Elsayed said. “I always thought about that dream every single day of practice.”
He got a step closer to that goal earlier this year as the Egyptian men’s team qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in men’s epee.
While competing in the African Games — before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak — would have sealed the spot for Egypt, Elsayed expressed relief that he was closer to his dream.
“I wasn’t surely qualified yet, but I was close and it meant that my dream was going to be true,” he said.
Although it could be disappointing to wait a year to fulfill a lifelong goal with the Olympics delayed to next summer, as well as uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, Elsayed has used the time to sharpen his skills.
“The delay gives you more time to prepare more, and to practice more,” he said. “I think it affected me in a good way.”
Elsayed commented that staying focused on daily tasks helps set him up to perform at a high level.
“I always try to stay on the right track by ensuring that I train well, and give all the effort I have in practices,” he said.
While it can be challenging at times being thousands of miles away from family and friends, Elsayed has embraced life in the metro Detroit area.
“I enjoy competing at this high level of competition, living alone and learning in one of the best schools worldwide,” he said. “(As well as) adapting to the new society and knowing about new culture and traditions.”
Elsayed stated that it will mean a lot for him to compete in the Tokyo Olympics once they are held.
“It is the biggest dream for any athlete,” he said. “It will make me more proud of myself and what I have accomplished. I hope it will make me a good role model for young generations to walk the same path as me.”
While he took off a year of college competition, one of Elsayed’s goals going forward is to build on his stellar freshman season.
“I hope to win the NCAA Championships in the upcoming three seasons with Wayne State,” he said. “And hopefully, I can get a medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and raise my national flag there in Japan.”
