The last day of the Athens leg of the Swimming World Cup 2023 has officially kicked off. While swimming fans are enjoying themselves in Athens, some of the athletes have been distracted throughout the tournament due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Athletes like USA’s Michael Andrew have been vocal throughout the tournament about the ongoing war situation in the region.
Similarly, after his latest performance, Egyptian Abdelrahman Sameh, who got the better of Michael Andrew, also talked about the immense mental pressure that he is facing amidst the Israel-Hamas war.
Abdelrahman Sameh opens up on death threats at the Swimming World Cup 2023
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Michael Andrew has been in impressive form in the Swimming World Cup 2023. However, the American swimmer missed out on a top podium finish on the last day of action in Athens. Andrew went toe to toe against Abdelrahman Sameh, but the Egyptian eventually clinched the gold medal in the men’s 50m butterfly event with a time of 23.04 seconds.
According to the World Aquatics YouTube stream, soon after the race, Sameh revealed, “I don’t know if I can celebrate this honestly. It’s been a really mentally tough week for me. I’ve been getting death threats. People have been attacking me all week for supporting Palestine.” Sameh further revealed that his family is extremely worried about his safety at the ongoing World Cup.
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