'Little Olympian': fencer says competed in Paris heavily pregnant

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed she competed at the Paris Olympics, reaching the last 16 in her event and defeating a higher-ranked rival on the way, while seven months pregnant.

Hafez, a three-time Olympian from Cairo, ranked 26th, beat American fencer Elizabeth Tartakovsky in the sabre event before succumbing to Hayoung Jeon of South Korea in the quarter finals on Monday.

"Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian!" the 26-year-old said on Instagram late Monday.

"What appears to you as two players... they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!" she wrote in English.

She previously competed in Rio in 2016 and in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 in the highly demanding sabre, a slashing weapon which demands lightening speed and reflexes from competitors.

Hafez said she was proud to have secured her place in the round of 16 at the Grand Palais.

"The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it," she wrote.

Her Instagram post has racked up more than 25,000 likes, with many praising the athlete.

"Balancing between pregnancy and pursuing your passion is never easy, so you should be super proud of yourself regardless of the outcome," one user said.

"Just amazing," added another. "But is it not cheating to fence 2 against 1?" the user joked.

But the athlete was also trolled by sexist comments from some users who suggested she should not have competed while pregnant and insinuating this had affected her performance for her country.

Hafez began fencing at age 11 in Egypt.

"I first took up swimming and gymnastics, but then I had to leave gymnastics and I joined fencing by chance," she said in comments released by the International Fencing Federation.

"I felt like I wanted to try it after seeing my friend and once I did, I loved it."