One month to go to Paris 2024: Elghobashy and Laklalech seal Olympic berths

In exactly one month’s time, the Olympic flame will be lit by the Seine in front of the Trocadero, marking the start of the Paris 2024 Games.

As the final countdown begins, Arab and Mena athletes continue to book their spots at the Olympics, with some heading to the quadrennial extravaganza for the first time and others returning to the Games after a lengthy absence.

Here’s the latest on all things Mena athletes at the Paris Olympics.

Elghobashy back in the mix

In Rio 2016, Egyptian duo Doaa Elghobashy and Nada Meawad became the first Arab women to compete in beach volleyball at the Olympic Games.

After missing out on Tokyo 2020, Elghobashy has once again secured a place at the Olympics, this time alongside Marwa Magdy, thanks to their triumph at the African Volleyball Confederation Continental Cup on Sunday in Morocco.

Elghobashy and Magdy defeated Nigerians Pamela Bawa and Esther Mbah 15-21, 21-16, 15-8 to punch their tickets to Paris, which will host the beach volleyball tournament at Parc du Champ de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

The Moroccan tandem of Mohamed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui clinched the men’s continental title to return to the Olympics for second straight edition with a 21-18, 21-12 victory over Mozambique’s Jose Mondlane and Osvaldo Mungoi.

Qatar’s Ahmed Tijan and Cherif Younousse, who won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, qualified via their Olympic ranking, where they currently stand at No 12.

Tolo joins Saudi qualifiers

Over in the Spanish capital last Friday, at Meeting Madrid, a Continental Tour Silver event, Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Daouda Tolo set a new Asian record in shot put, throwing 21.80m to hit a new PB and qualify for the Paris Olympics.

A silver medallist at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, Tolo improved on his previous best mark of 20.18m by over a metre and will now join the Saudi Arabian showjumping team and taekwondo fighter Dunya Abutaleb as the only athletes from the Kingdom to have qualified for the Paris Olympics so far.

Laklalech rounds out women’s golf field

The two-year qualification period for women’s golf at the Paris Olympics came to an end on Monday with Moroccan Ines Laklalech snagging the last of 60 spots in the field.

The 26 year old from Casablanca follows in the footsteps of compatriot Maha Haddioui, who made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 and returned to the Games in Tokyo 2020.

“Since I heard golf was going to be back in the Olympics, it was always my goal and I was not even talking about majors to my parents, I was only talking about Olympics,” Laklalech said in a recent Abtal podcast of her Olympic aspirations.

Laklalech became the first Moroccan, North African, or Arab woman to win a title on the Ladies European Tour when she triumphed at the Lacoste Ladies Open in Deauville during her rookie season in 2022.

It sparked a deep desire within her to represent Morocco the best she can, and blaze a trail for others to follow suit.

“What I felt during the first win, I didn’t realise that so many Moroccans would be happy after my win, especially golf – it’s not a popular sport. But it was beyond that and that’s when I realised it,” she said on Abtal.

“I really want to do it, for my family, but also for the Moroccans. Because they’re so hyped. In Morocco when someone does something great, it can be anything, any activity, and you’re seeing the Moroccan flag next to other flags, people are so happy and hyped about it. And I want to provide that happiness to people hopefully.”