(27 July 1996; Day 8)
Egypt has never won a medal in Olympic handball competition, nor have they ever won one in world championship competition. However, with their third consecutive win at the 1996 Olympic Games tournament, their chances of changing their fate are as good as they ever have been.
With a 3-0 record and an upset win over Germany, the fourth-place finisher in the 1995 World Championships, Egypt is primed and ready to challenge for not just any medal, but the gold.
With three of the world's top teams, Croatia, Russia, and Sweden in Pool A, the top Pool B teams were expected to be Germany and France, the reigning world champions. With a decisive 24-22 victory over Germany, Egypt's main remaining challenge to make the medal round will come from co-pool leaders, France, which they will meet on Monday at 10:00.
Egypt's strength is balanced on both sides of the ball. Leading the way on offense has been pivot Amero EI GEIOUSHY, who is 16-of-25 for a scoring efficiency of 64 percent and stands third in goals in the Olympic tournament. Pivot Gohar GOHAR is 9-of-12 for a 75 percent shooting percentage and leads the team with five assists. As a team, Egypt is notching a 53.23 shooting efficiency and is averaging nearly 25 goals a game.
Yet, as explosive as they are on offense, Egypt's defense has been equally effective. They average three steals and over five blocks per game. The blocks come mostly courtesy of the Olympic's leading blocker, centerback Ahmed ALI, who has a 2.66 per game average.
A trio of goalkeepers has kept the ball out of the Egyptian goal, with Mohamed BAKIR posting the second best Olympic save percentage, having rejected 20 shots with an efficiency rating of 39.21.
Over the past few years Egypt has moved up among the world's handball powers. At the 1992 Olympics, they finished 11th out of 12 teams. At the world championships the following year in a competition that included all of the world's top teams, they placed 12th. And by the 1995 championships, the Egyptians had moved up to sixth. The continued upward climb could culminate in Atlanta with its first Olympic medal.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Brad Laux.
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| Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium. |