Kisho returns to represent Egypt with Los Angeles 2028 Olympic medal in sight

Egyptian wrestler Mohamed Ibrahim “Kisho” has announced his return to representing his country, reversing an earlier decision to compete for the United States.

The Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist said he would fight for a place on the podium at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after joining the Masar project, which supports elite athletes.

“Praise be to God for returning to my country, Egypt, once again,” Kisho wrote on his official account.

He added: “I am very proud of the wonderful reception and happy to join the Masar project to support athletes. This is the beginning of a new phase in my sporting career, with the aim of achieving my Olympic dream.”

Kisho also thanked President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his instructions to support elite athletes, and paid tribute to Gohar Nabil, the Minister of Youth and Sports, for his backing and attention.

“I hope to live up to your expectations and be worthy of your confidence,” he said. “I will make every effort and endure all the hard work to achieve my dream and the dream of all Egyptians.”

He finished with a pledge to continue competing with the aim of seeing Egypt’s flag raised at medal ceremonies.

“I promise that I will continue to fight on the mat and work with all my strength to raise my country’s flag on the podiums and win an Olympic medal for Egypt at Los Angeles 2028, God willing,” he said.

Career after Paris 2024

Kisho was part of Egypt’s delegation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after which he announced his retirement from wrestling.

He later reversed that decision and said he would represent the United States as he targeted qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. His latest announcement confirms his return to Egypt.

The wrestler won a bronze medal in the 67kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

At the qualification event for Paris 2024, Kisho lost 4-1 to Romania’s Valentin Petic in the round of 16 and moved into the repechage.

He responded with a 9-0 victory over Switzerland’s Andreas Vetsch before defeating Germany’s Etienne Kinsinger 8-0.

Kisho then beat Kazakhstan’s Dinmukhamed Koshkar 8-0 in the Olympic qualifying repechage.

That tournament represented his final opportunity to secure a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, he was unable to repeat his Olympic success in Paris and was accused of sexual harassment before the wrestler was declared innocent.