Raouf Abdel Karim: First African World Cup Winner in History

Raouf Abdel KARIM - first African World cup Winner!

The 27th Tournament of Masters in Cottbus has been a historcal moment for Africa: The 25-year-old
Raouf Abdel KARIM from Kairo is the first African gymnast in history who has obtained a World Cup victory in gymnastics. On the vaulting table ERGOJET he managed to overtake such specialists as the former European champion Leszek Blanik, Ioan Suciu from Romania or in the Winner’s Final the dynamic Russian Anton Golotsutskov.
After Mohamed Lazhari from Algeria (Tokyo 1964) and Mohamed Ibrahim (Egypt) Raouf Abdel Karim has been the first African gymnast after 36 years to take part in Olympic Games in Sydney 2000...

Raouf Abdel KARIM, 25 jähriger Sportlehrer/Trainer am Sportinstitut in Kairo (Ägypten)

Walid Said Eldariny third at rings, Cottbus 2002

Egypt’s national coach Abdel Raouf El Hagrassy happily ran through the venue “Lausitzarena“ in Cottbus when his gymnast managed to win the Winner’s final at the vaulting table ERGOJET: During the final Russia’s Anton Golotsutskov had taken the lead with 0.075 points, but in the Winner’s Final Raouf Abdel Karim managed to overtake him with 0.112 points. This confirmed the first African World Cup victory in history. First, his coach went to the presenter of the competition and told him in perfect German: “Tell the audience that I have studied at the German College of Physical Culture DHfK in Leipzig...!“
Already at the World championships in Ghent 2001 Epypt surprised with Walid Said Eldariny placing 6th in the rings final. In spring 2002 he then placed 3rd in the rings final in Cottbus behind Csollany and Jovchev.

And now a historical first World Cup victory for Egypt.
Raouf Abdel Karim was born in Kairo and has been doing gymnastics already for 20 years now. He has three sisters and graduated from the sports institute in Kairo to be a sports teacher. His average training time is 6 times a week for three hours. The first international competiton in which he had taken part was the McDonalds-Cup in Fort Worth, Texas/USA, he had been 18 years old there. He celebrated his first major victory also on vault – 1997 at the Mediteranian Games in Italy.
Now Karim definitely wants to take part in his second Olympic Games since he has been the first African gymnast to take part in Olympic Games after Tokyo 1964. There, Mohamed Ibrahim from Egypt had taken part. “It will not be easy to compete there without a team,“ knows Raouf Abdel. He has to take his chances through the all-around, which includes his weak apparatus pommel-horse, and through the continental regulation. His victory in Cottbus, however, will remain a special one forever.
E.Herholz / Translation: Lisa Worthmann

>> ... read more on the event website 27. TOURNAMENT of MASTERS, COTTBUS 2003