Morocco’s Youssra Zekrani Wins Silver Medal in African Fencing Championship, Casablanca

Youssra Zekrani took home a silver medal after reaching the final stage of Africa’s Fencing Championship in Casablanca.

Zekrani reached the final stages of the continental tournament, before losing to Egyptian contestant Noura Mhamad, earning her the silver medal.

In the game against the Egyptian, Zekrani lost by nine points to 15.

Zekrani, who ranked as the 91st best player in the world, faced and eliminated Algeria’s Chaymae Nihar Kamar and Egypt’s Yara Charkaoui in the quarterfinals. 

While facing Algeria’s Kamar, the Moroccan athlete won by an impressive margin of 15 to 10. She equally scored a no less impressive score against Egypt’s Charkaoui, winning with nine to 15.

This is not the first time Zekrani makes national headlines for winning a tournament. The Moroccan athlete brought home a bronze medal at the 2016 African Championships. She competed at the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

More than two years later, Zekrani claimed another bronze medal at the African Games in 2019.

This year’s fencing tournament in Casablanca saw the participation of several other Moroccan female contestants, including Manal Kermaoui and Ilham Belefkih.

The Casablanca tournament took place on June 15-19, under the patronage of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. It saw the participation of athletes from across the continent, with 233 registered participants. 

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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