Mohammed Hamada Explained
| Mohammed Hamada |
| Nationality: | Palestinian |
| Birth Name: | Mohammed Khamis Haidar Hamada |
| Birth Date: | 2002 3, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Gaza, Palestine |
| Weight: | 101.35kg (223.44lb) |
| Country: | Palestine |
| Sport: | Weightlifting |
| Event: | 96 kg, 102 kg |
Mohammed Khamis Haidar Hamada (Arabic: محمد خميس حيدر حمادة; born 14 March 2002) is a Palestinian weightlifter from Gaza. He was the first Palestinian to compete in the sport at the Olympics.[1] [2]
Career
Hamada participated in the men's 96-kilogram event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making him the first-ever weightlifter from Palestine to compete at the Olympics. He finished 13th.[3]
Hamada left Gaza several weeks before the Olympics to avoid traveling issues, having secured his place after participating in six international qualifying contests since 2019. His brother Hussam is the Palestinian national weightlifting team coach.[4] [5]
He was the flag bearer of Palestine's Olympic National Team during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
In 2022, Hamada won gold and bronze in the IWF Weightlifting Junior World Championships held in Heraklion, Greece.[6]
In 2024, Hamada injured his knee and lost around 20kg (40lb) carrying water during the ongoing Israel–Hamas war and Gaza genocide. He thus failed to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[7] [8] A documentary film chronicles his journey during the Gaza genocide,[9] which included having to eat animal feed to survive.
Notes and References
- Web site: Palestine: Olympic team plan to fly Palestinian flag high at Tokyo Games. 22 July 2021 .
- Web site: Weightlifting HAMADA Mohammed K H - Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 2021-07-26. olympics.com. en-us. 2021-07-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20210726020325/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/weightlifting/athlete-profile-n1483453-hamada-mohammed-k-h.htm. dead.
- Web site: 2024-06-03 . Qatar welcomes Palestinian star Mohammed Hamada until the Paris Games . 2024-07-26 . International Weightlifting Federation . en-US.
- Web site: 2021-07-19 . First Palestinian weightlifter at Olympics braced to make history . 2021-07-26 . Reuters.
- News: Meet the first Palestinian weightlifter to compete in the Olympics . 2021-07-26 . Haaretz . en.
- Web site: Al Gherbawi . Hadeel . 2022-05-21 . Palestinian wins world weightlifting championship in Greece - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East . 2024-07-23 . www.al-monitor.com . en.
- Web site: Stepansky . Joseph . Uras . Umut . Israel war on Gaza updates: Israel forces Palestinians into 20% of Gaza: UN . 2024-07-23 . 2024-07-26 . . en.
- Web site: Ibrahim . Niza . Heavy toll on Palestinian athletes in Gaza: Six are set to feature at the games in Paris . Al Jazeera . . July 23, 2024 . July 27, 2024.
- How I escaped Gaza’s war to fight for my Olympic dream: The Gaza Man . 2024-08-11 . Al Jazeera English . 2024-08-11 . YouTube.
