Yara El-Sharkawy, a 21 years old lady started her sports journey when she was 4. Her head start was swimming which she didn’t fancy at all, and then taekwondo which lasted for just one year.
Yara’s parents spotted fencing and found it new, so they enrolled her at age 6. Yara’s first 4 years fencing held no championships for her age so she was unhappy and dissatisfied, but her parents encouraged her to keep going. Not so long after, Yara El-Sharkawy entered her first championship ever, under age 11 and gloriously won 1st place!
“That was a turning point for me, because it showed me that training will pay off.”
Yara continued training and joined the first championship under 17 when she was 13, and won 3rd place, she then joined the Egyptian national team for fencing. The journey changed when Yara realized the marvellousness of playing outside of Egypt, on a larger scale, a greater zone, and with so many different people.
Yara participated in the African championship and the championship under 20, and seized them 1st places! Yara was nominated to the youth Olympics in 2014 and had a wonderful experience! She Won the bronze medal a few times in the Mediterranean fencing championships under 20 and 17, And 1st in the Mediterranean fencing championship under 20. Yara also took a lot of bronze and silver medals in the African championships
Yara is nominated for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics this July!
Wish her a very fruitful experience!
“Throughout this journey there were a lot of injuries, a compromised social life, and various challenges. People don’t see what’s behind the scenes and they don’t know the effort, time, and dedication being put for the outcome.”
“I am not sorry for my choice. I miss a lot of events due to the championships , but I know I get what I work for, it’s worth the effort.”
“My message to this generation would be: don’t ever give up, keep trying, discover your talents, there’s always something unique in everyone. You need both talent and hard work
And for women, fencing is not dangerous!
I see girls have a lot of power, they can change an entire nation, you can be both feminine and strong, you’re healthy. As long as you believe in yourself, that is enough and you can be a champion!”
