For Olympians, being in peak physical condition is paramount to ensuring success on the grandest stage. Or so you’d think. Overcoming challenges and still rising above is what sets great stars apart from run-of-the-mill athletes. However, when Egypt’s Nada Hafez started her journey in search of golden glory at the Paris Olympics, not many people expected that she was hiding something inside her that would make most women take refuge in their beds for months.

The fencer crashed out of the title race just hours ago in the Round of 16. While the three-time Olympian has to walk away from the French capital without bagging any medals, thanks to a 15-7 defeat by South Korea’s Jeon Hayoung, she’s winning hearts on other fronts.

Nada Hafez’s pregnancy announcement at the Paris Olympics

Moments after her loss, Nada took to Instagram to drop an unexpected bomb that took the world by storm on Monday. “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three!” she wrote in her post, raising several eyebrows before finally announcing the massive news without beating around the bush. “It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” revealed the 2024 African Championships gold medalist sabre-weilder.

Hafez further claimed that her journey to represent her country in the French capital didn’t happen smoothly, and she had to fight for her spot in the limelight. “My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous,” confessed Nada, while also admitting that the entire journey was “worth it“.

While many fans would understandably gasp at the thought of a seven-month pregnant lady locking horns against the world’s finest on the biggest stage of them all, Hafez’s condition begs the question: are there any regulations about allowing or barring pregnant athletes from competing?

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Do pregnant women compete at the Olympics?

Two-time World Championships gold medalist Amber Kutter was among the athletes who had to jump over several hurdles to reach the City of Love. Despite being due to give birth in three months, the 26-year-old made it abundantly clear: she wouldn’t let anything stand in her way. “When I found out I was pregnant, the fingers started going to work on how long I had until the Olympics,” Rutter told Olympics.com in March and stated that she had to assess the situation and take an alternate course immediately. “It literally has gone from Plan A to Plan Z so we are ready for any situation that might occur,” she said, noting that being ready for anything became the mainstay of her preparations.

Welsh cyclist Elinor Barker learned she was pregnant while competing in Tokyo and still managed to bag a silver with her team. Equestrian star Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics while five months pregnant. American shooter Kim Rhode also competed and won gold in the 2012 London Olympics during her pregnancy.

While Nada didn’t manage to mirror the same kind of success of many of these athletes in the French city, we wish her the best for her journey into motherhood.