Egyptian swimmers topped the medal table at the first World University Championship in finswimming held in Africa, winning seven gold medals, nine silver medals, and three bronze medals. The championship, held in Sharm El-Sheikh from 28 to 29 October, was the first time the event had been staged in Egypt, the Arab world, or Africa. Finswimming is a sport in which athletes race with fins, often a single monofin, either on the surface with a snorkel or underwater.
The championship was backed by the International University Sports Federation, known as FISU, and the World Underwater Federation, known as CMAS. Organizers expected to draw about 200 athletes from 20 countries and said hosting it would strengthen Egyptian university sport and promote sports tourism. Tarek Hassan Elsayed set the tone on the opening day, winning the 100-meter surface race in 34.50 seconds, a competition record.
Elsayed had already broken the record in the heats, swimming 35.59 seconds, before lowering it by 1.09 seconds in the final. China’s Guan Hanzhi took silver in 36.31 seconds, and Egypt’s Ammar Ahmed Waseef took bronze in 36.51 seconds. Other Egyptian winners included Mohab Ehab, who won the men’s 400-meter surface race and then the 800-meter the following day.
In the women’s events, Nada Magdy won the 800-meter surface race on 28 October and the 400-meter on 29 October, with Malak Sherif second both times. Ahmed Mohamed Aly delivered Egypt’s seventh title in the 400-meter bi-fins on the first day. The Egyptian University Sports Federation organized the championship with the Egyptian Diving and Lifesaving Federation.
Participating countries included France, China, Japan, Russia, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, and Egypt. The event was originally scheduled for 10 to 11 April at the same resort city but was postponed over “growing security concerns in the Middle East region.” FISU later announced the new dates.
Finswimming is governed by CMAS, and competitors race with fins, often a single monofin, on the surface with a snorkel or underwater. The sport developed after rubber fins became widely available in the 1930s, and the first competition in the Soviet Union was held in 1958. CMAS, founded in Monaco in January 1959, became the sport’s world governing body.
Egypt has a strong record in finswimming, having hosted the 16th World Junior Championship in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2019 and finishing fourth. In 2022, the national team won 18 medals across the senior, junior, and masters categories at the world championships in Italy. Egypt also won 19 medals at the world championships in France in 2024 and 31 medals when it hosted the open-water world championships in El Alamein in 2025.
Key points
- Egypt won 19 medals, including seven gold medals, at the first World University Championship in finswimming in Africa.
- The championship was held in Sharm El-Sheikh from 28 to 29 October and was the first time the event had been staged in Egypt, the Arab world, or Africa.
- Egyptian swimmers have a strong record in finswimming, having won multiple medals at world championships in recent years.
