 |
| ▲ This photo shows Taekwondo bronze medalists Hedaya Malak (left) and Seif Eissa (right). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ This EPA=Yonhap News Agency photo, shows Hedaya Malak winning the bronze medal after competing in the women's 67 kg category. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ This photo shows Taekwondo athlete Seif Eissa who has won the bronze medal in the men's 80 kg competition. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ This photo shows Hedaya Malak, a two-time Olympic medalist who won the bronze medal after competing in the women's 67 kg category. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
CAIRO, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Egypt secured its most successful performance in terms of overall medals by winning one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals.
Two out of Egypt's six medals came from taekwondo.
Taekwondo medalists Hedaya Malak (28) and Seif Eissa (23), who met with a correspondent from Yonhap News Agency at the Egyptian Olympic Center in Cairo on Thursday (local time), still seemed to be gaining popularity although a month has passed since the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Eissa, who won the bronze medal in the men's 80 kg event, said while laughing, "Whenever I ride the taxi, the first thing the driver wants to do is take a picture with me. Some drivers are being too kind by saying I don't have to pay the taxi fare.
"I had previously won the Korean Ambassador's Cup Taekwondo Championship when I was younger, which gave me a chance to become an Olympic athlete," said Malak, who won bronze in the women's 67 kg category following up her 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medal. "Taekwondo is a sport that allows you to use aggressive movements in a smart way, which is something I love about it.
"My mother took me to a sports club because I got tired of swimming and I chose taekwondo there," Eissa said. "In swimming, I needed to fight against myself in order to shorten my record, however taekwondo is attractive since it challenges you to compete with other people."
Eissa also mentioned that there is an increase in the number of countries heavily investing in taekwondo like Egypt, which is also part of the reason why South Korea did not win the gold medal in taekwondo for the first time in the Olympics.
"This does not mean the level of Korean taekwondo athletes has gone down, but rather because athletes from other countries are starting to level up and become stronger," Eissa explained. "No one could beat Korean athletes in 2000, when taekwondo became an official Olympic sport, but it has become an important event for every country participating in the Olympics to make a huge investment in."
The two athletes also aimed to win gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Malak, who has already competed in the Olympics three times, said, "I'm getting older and there are a lot of younger and greater athletes," adding, "It's getting harder to win medals, but I think if you do your best, you will be able to achieve accomplishments."
Eissa, who won a bronze medal at his first Olympic, said, "My next goal is to please my family and country that supported me by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics."
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
