By: Yomna Walid&nbsp;
Winning Olympic gold was just the beginning for Feryal Ashraf. After making history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Egypt's first female Olympic karate gold medallist faced a new challenge: returning to elite competition after becoming a mother. At the 2026 Mediterranean Games, she proved she was ready, overcoming an injury to claim gold and secure her second consecutive title at the Games.
The Egyptian karate champion and pharmacist has had to balance the demands of motherhood, her profession and the rigours of competitive sport, while continuing to pursue her ambitions.
In an exclusive interview with NileFM, Ashraf reflects on her comeback, the challenges of motherhood and the determination that has shaped her career. She also reveals what she hopes to achieve next, including a long-awaited individual senior World Championship title.
You have achieved success in both pharmacy and karate. Take us behind your journey. How did you manage to balance your studies, your career as a pharmacist, and your training as a professional athlete?
It was all about time management and setting priorities. If I have a very important competition coming up, my priority is training. If I have an exam and there is no training, then studying becomes the priority. If the two conflict, I try to organize my time between both so I can give each one the attention it needs.
Your journey has included many challenges and difficult moments. What would you say has been the biggest challenge you have faced, and what did it teach you?
One of the biggest challenges was before the Olympics, when I had a disagreement with my coach, which led to him stopping our training together. He decided to leave me about a month and a half before the Olympics. That made me hold on to my dream even more rather than give up on it.
I had a goal in front of me that I wanted to achieve, despite the circumstances I was going through. That gave me even more motivation to achieve it. I eventually found another coach, my current coach, Captain Khaled, who took on a responsibility during a period that not everyone would have been able to accept, especially with such little time left before the Olympics.
On top of that, I was dealing with injuries. Before the Olympics, I had a hamstring tear, and I recovered from it just one week before the Olympics. I always believe that you can keep going as long as you are willing to fight for the place you want to reach.
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Your journey at the 2026 Mediterranean Games was not an easy one, but you managed to overcome the challenges and win the gold medal. Can you take us behind that experience?
It was my first major official competition after returning from motherhood, so it was a very important milestone for me, especially because I managed to win the gold medal.
I had already won gold in Oran in 2022, so winning gold again meant that I had won gold medals at two consecutive editions. That was something very significant for me.
The biggest challenge during the competition was my injury in the first match. The doctors advised me not to continue, but I wanted to keep going and reach my goal. I could see myself winning the gold medal, and I believed I could perform well throughout the competition.
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You suffered an injury during the competition but decided to continue fighting. What gave you the strength to keep going?
The amount of exhaustion and pain I had gone through before the competition, along with everything I had experienced, were things that could have made anyone give up. I had also gone through very difficult psychological circumstances, and I had pushed myself extremely hard.
That made me decide that I was not going to give up on everything I had worked for just because I got injured. On the contrary, it made me hold on even more.
An injury can also make an athlete more focused. When I got injured, I became even more focused. I was thinking, &ldquo;No one is going to touch my face or get close to the injured area.&rdquo; I became more focused on my goal. I was not going to look anywhere else except at the goal I had come for.
I was simply taking it one step at a time, getting closer to the gold medal.
You recently became one of the ambassadors of the UN&rsquo;s &ldquo;Shabab Balad&rdquo; initiative in Egypt alongside world squash champion Ali Farag. What message do you hope to highlight through this role, particularly for young people who have big ambitions but may not know how to turn their dreams into reality?
As an ambassador for "Shabab Balad" under the United Nations, I am trying to raise awareness among young people about how they can make use of their abilities, employment opportunities, and job opportunities, while strengthening and developing their skills and helping them enter the job market.
There was also the launch of an academy that focuses on developing these skills.
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You are now looking ahead to the 2028 Olympics. How do you want this Olympic journey to be different from your previous experience?
Unfortunately, I will be going to support and follow my teammates because karate is no longer part of the Olympic programme. It was included once in Tokyo and did not return afterward, so it is not part of the programme now.
My role will be to support my teammates across all the sports and cheer them on.
As a karate champion, pharmacist, and mother, you have many responsibilities. How do you manage to balance all these roles while continuing to pursue your ambitions?
Of course, being a mother, pharmacist, and athlete is difficult, but it is about managing your time and responsibilities, knowing when to do each thing, and organizing your time properly.
The unsung hero in my story is my mother. She helps me with everything. She helps me raise my son and takes many responsibilities off my shoulders, which allows me to focus more on my training and my life.
At the same time, she helps me be present in my son's life. During competitions, when I am not there, my mother takes on that responsibility.
It really is difficult, but it is worth it.
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What has motherhood taught you, both inside and outside the competition arena?
Being a mother taught me not to give up, especially after I returned to competition. Before that, there were many challenges, both psychologically and physically.
Getting through all of that, trying to return again, and competing for championships was definitely a challenge for me. I was able to make that comeback, and I am proud that I managed to do it.
You have become an inspiration to many women in Egypt and around the world. What advice would you give to every woman who has a dream but is facing challenges or doubts along the way?
There is nothing in this world without challenges. There have to be challenges in order for you to reach what you want, because once you achieve your goal, you can truly enjoy it. You can look back at everything you went through and realize that you reached your goal.
The advice I can give is not only for women, but for everyone: do your part regardless of the outcome. The result is ultimately in God's hands, but you should do everything you can and give your best to reach what you want.
At the end of the day, knowing that you did everything you could is something that allows you to be satisfied with the result, with your life, and with what you have done.
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If you could go back to the beginning of your career and speak to the younger Feryal, what would you tell her?
I would encourage myself even more and tell myself to continue on the path I chose, and that there is nothing that can make me turn away from it.
After everything you have achieved so far, what is the one thing Feryal Ashraf still dreams of achieving?
Right now, it is not a dream for me. It is for my son. I want to see him become the best version of himself and achieve everything he dreams of.
As for Feryal herself, I want to win an individual senior World Championship title.
Photo Credit: Feryal Ashraf&rsquo;s official page

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