In the last episode of the Abtal podcast series, host Reem Abulleil sits down with Egyptian diver Maha Amer as she prepares for her second Olympic Games this summer in Paris.   Amer shares her inspiring journey, from making history as the first Egyptian to win a medal in diving at the World Championships to balancing her academic pursuits with her athletic career.   At just 25 years old, Amer holds two undergraduate degrees in economics and public health, and has completed two master's degrees in international business and biomedical sciences. She opens up about the challenges she ha ..read more

In this episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by Moroccan golfer Ines Laklalech, who is on the brink of securing her place at her first Olympic Games this summer.   Laklalech has made history as the first Moroccan, North African or Arab woman to win a tournament on the Ladies European Tour, a remarkable achievement she accomplished at the Lacoste Ladies Open in Deauville during her rookie season in 2022.   Following this victory, Laklalech secured her card for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), marking another milestone as the first Moroccan, North ..read more

The Abtal podcast is back with a fresh batch of exciting episodes, featuring three incredible Arab athletes who are on their way to the Olympics. In this episode, host Reem Abulleil is joined by Lebanese trap shooter Ray Bassil, who is gearing up for her fourth consecutive Olympic Games this summer. Bassil, a reigning Asian champion and former world number one, has had an illustrious 20-year career in shooting, boasting numerous World Cup and Asian Championship victories. She was the flag-bearer for her country at the Tokyo 2020 Games and is currently on a quest to become her country's first O ..read more

In the eighth episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by Moroccan surfer Ramzi Boukhiam, who is getting ready to compete in his second Olympics this summer. Boukhiam is the first Moroccan or Arab surfer to qualify for the Championship Tour, which is the highest level of competition in the sport. The 30-year-old from Agadir recently clinched a silver medal at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico to secure his Olympic spot and solidify his place among the best surfers on the planet. In this revealing conversation, Boukhiam delves deep into the highs and lows of his caree ..read more

In the seventh episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by UAE’s first female professional cyclist, Safiya Al Sayegh. A multiple-time national champion and a time trial bronze medallist at the Under 23 Asian Championships, Al Sayegh has made rapid strides in the sport within a very short period of time. In 2022, she signed for Team UAE ADQ to become the first Arab woman to join a WorldTour outfit. She made her WorldTour competitive debut last year, with an impressive top-35 finish at the Tour of Chongming Island in Shanghai. Al Sayegh has represented the UAE in two World Cham ..read more

In the sixth episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by Egyptian distance swimmer Marwan El Kamash, who is getting ready to compete in his third Olympic Games this summer. Since he moved to the United States more than 12 years ago to study and swim at the University of South Carolina, El Kamash has gone to extreme lengths to not only sustain, but consistently develop his career as a swimmer. During the conversation, he talks about how he went from being a young teen in Alexandria who hated swimming, to becoming one of the best distance swimmers in the world with an immense p ..read more

Abtal podcast series is back after a short break with a new line-up of inspiring Arab athletes and compelling conversations. In the fifth episode, host Reem Abulleil is joined by two athletes this time, Egypt’s first medallist at a Fencing World Championship Ziad El Sissy and his wife, squash superstar Nouran Gohar. A bronze medallist at the World Championships and a Mediterranean Games champion, El Sissy has carved a path for himself in sabre fencing that has taken him from Alexandria to Detroit, Dallas to New York, and to his current residence in Connecticut, where he shares a home with Goha ..read more

In the fourth episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil sits down with Egyptian swimming star Farida Osman. A three-time World Championship medallist and African record holder, Osman has overcome many challenges both in and out of the pool to blaze a trail for Arab swimmers across the region. Osman exploded on to the scene as a 16-year-old when she became Egypt’s first junior world swimming champion in 2011. She has since become one of the best sprinters in the world, shattered numerous records and participated in three Olympic Games. Ahead of her fourth appearance at the Games, we spea ..read more

In the third episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by Emirati showjumper Abdullah Al Marri, a popular figure on the equestrian scene in the region and beyond, and a recent individual bronze medallist and team silver medallist at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. A winner of several Grand Prix events, Al Marri was part of a group of showjumpers who made history for the UAE last year when they secured qualification for the Olympics as a team for the very first time. In this conversation, Al Marri shares what it’s like to jump a 1.6m-high fence on top of a 600kg horse and what it ..read more

In the second episode of the Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by Egyptian table tennis prodigy Hana Goda. Goda, 16, has been making waves in table tennis internationally since she was 11. She was ranked No 1 in the world in the under-15 cadets category when she was only 12. Last year, at the senior level, she became the youngest to win the African Championship at the age of 15. Goda is currently ranked in the world’s top 30 and is Paris-bound with team Egypt for the Olympic Games this summer. She was recently named the Best Emerging Arab Athlete at the Mohammed bin Rashid Creative S ..read more