On top of the names announced by the Egyptian Federation of table tennis to go for the Olympics, came the name of Ahmed Saleh, who has already participated in multiple international tournaments like the World cup of table tennis and earned one of the top 3 medals.
“Trendify” conducted an interview with the Egyptian champion who said more details about the preparatory stage for the Olympics, his favorite players and his expectation regarding the next tournament.
You have achieved a lot in table tennis, was making it to the Olympics the dream you have always had?
Surely, I always dream of earning an Olympic medal and what makes me feel I have an opportunity to earn one in the next Olympics is that I have earned a bronze medal in World Cup 2016 and managed to win over Germany, that was the 2nd international place over the world. We just need good luck in the finals’ draw.
Will the Olympics be your last station before retirement?
I don’t think so. In the past few weeks, I received 3 offers to participate as a professional player in 3 European tournaments. These offers acted as a motive for me to achieve more and represented a new challenge for me, especially that 2 of the 3 offers I haven’t participated in for a long time.
How are you currently getting ready for the Olympics, especially with the spread of COVID-19?
We are currently preparing through daily training of the Egyptian National Team in Cairo with our technical director, Captain Maged Ashour. It is expected that we will go for a closed camp in Ismailia meanwhile we take all the required safety precautions against COVID-19 then the next destination would be a camp held abroad in Europe if the COVID-19 rates lowered and travel restrictions got diminished.
How can you overcome these hardships and maintain your physical and mental wellbeing?
In the beginning of COVID-19, I have faced difficulties in order to maintain my wellbeing, especially mentally because I was affected massively from the suspension of International playing and the inability to travel freely. However, I managed to overcome this quickly with the gradual return of life and tournaments.
What are the forms of support you receive from the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation and the ministry of sports, while you are preparing to represent Egypt in the Olympics?
We always received the best support from the Egyptian federation and the ministry of Sports. Even in COVID-19 time and the minimized participation and travel restrictions we managed to participate in some tournaments as a step towards getting ready.
What do you expect for the rest of Egyptian table tennis players qualified for the Olympics?
I expect positive results for all my colleagues, especially Dina Meshref who has recently achieved a lot of good results. I feel she can bring about a surprise and raise the name of Egypt.
In your opinion, what does the Egyptian table tennis players do you miss or require to receive an Olympics medal?
We don’t miss a lot that can hurdle us from earning a medal. We actually did it before in the World Cup which means we have both technical and financial abilities that enable us to win in all international tournaments. In this I don’t only mean table tennis but all sports in Egypt.
Who is your favourite table tennis player of all time?
The Chinese table tennis player, Ma Long is my favorite player.
Who is the player you are worried about playing against?
I am actually worried about confrontations with the Chinese players in general.
In case you earned an Olympic medal, to whom will you dedicate this achievement?
In the first place, I would dedicate it to my country Egypt, resembled in leaders and the Egyptian people. A special dedication will be to my mum