AUC’s Indoor Rowing Team Triumphs at World Cup Championship

Picture Courtesy of AUC’s Rowing Team

The American University in Cairo’s Indoor Rowing team, The Eagles, won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the Indoor Rowing World Cup Championship, which was held from February 23 to 24 in the Czech Republic.

The Eagles’ 13 members, including the medal-winning Ahmed el Shafie, Zeina Aidan, and Mariam Aboulwafa, returned victorious on February 26. El Shafie won second place for the 500m lightweight men aged 19-20, Aidan won second place for the 500m lightweight women aged 19-20, and Aboulwafa won third place for the 500m women aged 19-20.

Assistant Director for Facilities, Operations, and Special Events and former Rowing Coach Mohamed Arafa told The Caravan that the rowing team has been working tirelessly on improving their skills during the recent season. This is why the Office of Athletics knew they had to help them participate in the World Cup Championship, despite budget constraints.

“Their performance encouraged anyone responsible for athletics at AUC to continue the journey with such a team whose legacy keeps rising with new achievements and targets unlocked,” he commented.

Arafa described their performance as an “impressive achievement,” referring to how the team of 13 rowers collected a total of three medals.

“When a university team performs the same as a national team in terms of medals collected, then this proves that we really are on another level,” he added.

Khadija Ashour, Indoor Rowing’s Women’s Team Captain and Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) junior, expressed her pride in her team’s achievement. 

“Seeing any team member progress in training, overcome mental and physical obstacles, and win any races, I truly feel very proud. Their success is also my success,” she told The Caravan. 

This milestone comes after the team’s achievements in the National Universities Championship earlier in February, where Ashour won second place in the Women’s 2000m Relay Race and third place in the Women’s 1000m Individual Race. In total, the team won four gold medals, three silver medals, and three bronze medals across the 15 races in the national championship. The women’s team ranked first and the men’s team ranked second. 

“The National Universities Championship is what we have been training for all season. It was a great pleasure and honor to be competing under AUC’s name and representing our university,” Ashour said.

She expressed her deep appreciation and dedication to the team, having been on it for two years so far. 

“I have learned a lot from the sport itself and being on the team, and especially being a team captain this year for the women’s team. The most prominent things were; patience, hard work, dedication, empathy, social intelligence, being responsible, and learning how to cater to each individual’s needs,” she reflected.

Dahab Sherif, an AUC rower and Architecture junior who joined the team five months ago, shared Ashour’s feelings.

“I am still learning new things about this sport everyday and I was really excited to see all the indoor rowing icons,” said Sherif.

She further elaborated on the team’s preparations for the championships, where they trained with a rigorous routine of five days a week, using a tailored training program designed by Coach Sameh Gad. She also mentioned how challenging it was to remain focused, given that the National Championship and the World Cup were only a week apart.