Samar Hamza wins Egypt’s fifth gold medal at Mediterranean Games

Samar Hamza secured Egypt’s fifth gold medal at the Mediterranean Games by winning the women’s wrestling event in the under-76kg category.

The Egyptian defeated Turkiye’s Kadriye Kocak 5-3 in the final in Taranto, Italy, to add another gold medal to her country’s campaign at the competition.

The Mediterranean Games are being held in Taranto from 22 August to 1 September.

Hamza’s victory took Egypt’s overall medal tally to 15, including five golds, four silver medals and six bronze medals.

She began her competition with a commanding 6-0 victory over France’s Kendra Datcher in the group stage. Hamza then maintained her perfect record by beating Greece’s Eleni Chryseikaki 10-1 to qualify for the semi-finals.

In the last four, Hamza overcame Italy’s Enrica Rinaldi 4-1, setting up the final against Kocak. The Egyptian completed her run to the title with a 5-3 victory over the Turkish wrestler.

Her gold is the fifth won by Egypt during the Games.

Mohamed Elsayed had previously claimed gold in fencing, while Mohamed Hamza won the gold medal in foil.

Mohamed Hassan provided Egypt’s wrestling gold before Hamza’s success, and Abdelrahman Hreedy completed the earlier list of Egyptian winners with gold in swimming.

The results mean Egypt have now earned five gold medals across the Mediterranean Games, alongside four silver and six bronze medals. Samar Hamza’s victory has therefore increased both the country’s gold-medal total and its overall haul as the competition continues in Taranto.