Guwahati News Desk: A Gaza weightlifter named, Mohammad Hamada, makes history as the first Palestinian to compete in the sport at the Olympics that to kicks off in Tokyo later this month.
He stated, “I can’t describe my feeling to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.”
The 19-year-old left Gaza and secured his place for 2021, Tokyo Olympics, after having participated in six international qualifying contests since 2019.
Hamada has been continuously training for five hours a day and is aiming to rank among the top ten. He said, “I hope to achieve a new personal record … and come in the first top 10 places.”
He further added, “When I get to Tokyo, I will do the impossible, and I will exert every effort to be distinctive.”
In May (2020), he placed seventh in the Asia championship and eighth at the world championship in Uzbekistan for athletes under 20, where he performed a 141 kg snatch and 171 kg clean and jerk, for a total weight of 312 kg in the two lifts.
However, regarding the movement from Gaza, which is controlled by Israel and Egypt, the seriousness of restrictions has increased. For which, Hamada and his brother, Hussam, who is also the Palestinian national weightlifting team coach, did not want to take any risk and headed to Doha.
Hussam (his brother) stated, “This is the first Palestinian participation in history in weightlifting…Training is a complicated process, and the athlete being my brother made it easier for me.”
Hussam further informed that the Palestinian athletes suffered from a lack of well-equipped clubs, proper training tools, and more international participation in contests outside their territories.
The deputy chairman of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Asad Al-Majdalawi said that Hamada’s participation was an achievement regardless of whether he won a medal.
Al-Majdalawi added, “It is a legendary event to have Mohammad Hamada, a young, ambitious champion from Palestine, from Gaza, that witnessed wars and blockades, in Tokyo waving the Palestinian flag and competing against world champions.”