MOHAMED EHAB INTERVIEW
Mohamed Ehab Youssef Ahmed Mahmoud is a famous Egyptian weightlifter.
I think there are no such weightlifting fans, who have never seen the impressive and sometimes even crazy videos from this athlete’s Instagram.
Having performed at the international arena since 2014, he managed to become a real weightlifting star and the public’s favorite, primarily due to his true fighting character and spectacular, emotional performances.
After the World Championships in Turkmenistan, we were lucky to talk and find out the life details of this great athlete.
How did you get into weightlifting?
- Weightlifting appeared in my life not accidentally. My dad used to be a weightlifter and my brothers used to do the same sport too, as well as my country Egypt used to have a great olympic history and my city El Fayoum had a lot of champions. I started training at the age of 8 and thanks to my assertive nature and dedication, my progress was quite quick, so at the age of 15, when I was in the 56 kg category, I was invited to join the national team.
Is weightlifting popular in Egypt?
- It seems to me that weight lifting has always been in the blood of the Egyptian people. And our weightlifting school has a really rich history. Obviously, weightlifting has got a huge popularity. When I have an opportunity, I enjoy doing open trainings for kids and I think this is the best way of my favorite sport’s popularization.
Who or what motivates you to continue the weightlifting path?
- I can’t say that I have an idol. Probably, my best motivation were the changes in my life when I started to succeed internationally. This continues to motivate me to stay in the TOP. Even the teenage and the kids athletes, who do the weightlifting too, they see me as their star and a big hero, and all they wish is to be as Mohamed Ehab or to reach the target as I did it.
I know that you are training on a very specific system, tell us a little about it? Who is the author and have you always worked with this program?
- Indeed, my training program and my training approach are quite specific, but I would not want to talk about it a lot, I like to work hard daily to show my best result. At the same time, I pay great attention to my flexibility progress.
How was the preparation for the World Championship 2018? Were there any difficulties?
- The preparation was not easy, because it was necessary to gain weight for a new weight category only in 3 months. The competition period was quite intensive, because during this time I was also trying to get a new result for several times.
What can you say about the new weight categories?
- I like my category and I feel comfortable in this weight. But personally, I don’t understand what will be the future for the athletes of those new weight categories (55, 89, 102 kg) that did not become the Olympic ones. I wonder, how will these athletes behave in the future?
Were you able to lift a really heavy barbell before the championship?
- In the time of training I once lifted 170 kg in the snatch from the ground and another time from the blocks. And I also did 203 kg in the clean and jerk. These were the weights that I was going to lift before the competition.
What can you say about the organization of the competition in Turkmenistan? Was there something special this year?
- The competition was traditionally organized at the highest level. The great competition venue, the platforms and ELEIKO barbells. What else can we dream about))
How do you rate your performance? Have you completed your tasks at these competitions?
- Of course I wanted to win, and when I set the world record in the snatch, I believed that this would happen this time. But this is sport and not always everything depends on you. But it will definitely happen, I believe in it!
Did you manage to lift the PR in Ashgabat?
- Yes, a snatch of 173 kg was my personal record in all the competitions and I’m very pleased with that!
What prevented you from becoming a Gold medalist?
The Gold medal is not the most important thing for me. The most significant and difficult thing is to stay in TOP for as long as possible. But my plan for next year is certainly to take the Gold.
What are your plans for the future? Are you going to have some rest now?
- At the end of the competition season I plan to have a recovery period, but no more than for 2 weeks.
At the beginning of the new year, together with the coaches and the federation leadership, we will schedule a 2-years preparation plan for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
P.s. Last week Mohamed Ehab has won gold medals in the African Games 2019. We congratulate our friend with this success and wish him luck in forthcoming World Championships 2019! My brand “Warm Body Cold Mind" is happy to announce our new collaboration with this talented athlete. This very limited edition t-shirt with the print based on one of the Ehab's “creative” training techniques with multiple barbells.
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