Fares El-Bakh

2.1. Family Background

Fares Ibrahim comes from a family deeply rooted in weightlifting. His father, Ibrahim El-Bakh, also known as Ibrahim Hassouna, was a prominent weightlifter who represented Egypt at three consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 1992. This strong familial background, particularly his father's Olympic career, is understood to have significantly influenced Fares Ibrahim's pursuit and success in the sport of Olympic weightlifting. Ibrahim El-Bakh hails from El Mahalla El Kubra, a city in Egypt.

3.1. Early Career and Junior Achievements

Fares Ibrahim began his competitive journey early, quickly establishing himself as a promising talent in junior weightlifting. In 2016, competing in the 187 lb ^{(85 kg)} category, he secured a bronze medal in the total at the IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships held in Tbilisi, Georgia. The following year, at the 2017 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tokyo, Japan, he advanced to win a gold medal in the 187 lb ^{(85 kg)} category, demonstrating his rising dominance. He successfully defended his Junior World Champion title in 2018, earning another gold medal at the 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, this time in the 207 lb ^{(94 kg)} category. In the same year, he also won the Asian Junior Championships in the 207 lb ^{(94 kg)} division.

3.2. Olympic Games

Fares Ibrahim has represented Qatar at multiple Olympic Games, with his performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being particularly historic.

His first Olympic appearance was at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he competed in the men's 187 lb ^{(85 kg)} event. He initially finished in eighth place but was later upgraded to seventh place after the original bronze medalist, Gabriel Sîncrăian, was disqualified due to a failed drug test.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo, Japan in 2021, Fares Ibrahim competed in the 212 lb ^{(96 kg)} category. He was in fourth place after the snatch portion, having lifted 390 lb ^{(177 kg)}, with a narrow 4.4 lb ^{(2 kg)} difference between first and fifth place. In the clean and jerk segment, he made his first successful lift of 478 lb ^{(217 kg)} after all other competitors had finished, which secured him the gold medal. He then proceeded to lift 496 lb ^{(225 kg)}, setting a new Olympic record in the clean and jerk. This combined with his snatch lift resulted in a total of 886 lb ^{(402 kg)}, also an Olympic record. He attempted a world record lift of 511 lb ^{(232 kg)} but was unsuccessful. His total score of 886 lb ^{(402 kg)} was 33 lb ^{(15 kg)} greater than the silver and bronze medalists. This victory marked a monumental moment for Qatar, as Fares Ibrahim became the nation's first-ever Olympic Champion across all sports.

In August 2024, Fares Ibrahim participated in the men's 102 kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Unfortunately, he was unable to register a successful lift in the snatch portion, failing all three attempts at 392 lb ^{(178 kg)}, and consequently did not compete in the clean and jerk.

3.3. World Championships

Fares Ibrahim has achieved multiple medals at the World Weightlifting Championships.

In 2017, he moved up to the 207 lb ^{(94 kg)} category and competed at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, United States. He won a silver medal in the clean and jerk and was initially ranked fourth overall in the total. However, he was later upgraded to a bronze medal in the total after Aurimas Didžbalis, the original silver medalist, was disqualified due to a drug test failure.

At the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, competing in the newly reorganized 212 lb ^{(96 kg)} category, he secured a bronze medal in the clean and jerk portion of the competition. During this event, he also established a new junior world record in the clean and jerk.

He continued his success at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, where he earned a silver medal in the overall total in the 212 lb ^{(96 kg)} category. He followed this with another silver medal at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, also in the 212 lb ^{(96 kg)} category.

In 2022, competing in the 225 lb ^{(102 kg)} category at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, Fares Ibrahim secured a gold medal, adding a World Champion title to his accomplishments. He later earned a silver medal at the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships in Manama, Bahrain, in the 225 lb ^{(102 kg)} category.

3.4. Other International Competitions

Beyond the Olympics and World Championships, Fares Ibrahim has also distinguished himself in various other major international weightlifting events.

In 2018, he earned a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, competing in the 207 lb ^{(94 kg)} category.

His participation in the Asian Weightlifting Championships includes:

• 2016 Tashkent (187 lb ^{(85 kg)}): 6th place overall.
• 2019 Ningbo (212 lb ^{(96 kg)}): Did not register a total.
• 2020 Tashkent (225 lb ^{(102 kg)}): Silver medal.
• 2022 Manama (225 lb ^{(102 kg)}): Gold medal.

Fares Ibrahim also competed in the IWF Grand Prix, winning gold in the 225 lb ^{(102 kg)} category at the 2023 event in Doha, Qatar, with a total lift of 882 lb ^{(400 kg)}.

He has achieved notable success at the Qatar Cup, an important event on the international calendar. At the 5th International Qatar Cup in 2018, held in Doha, he won gold in the 212 lb ^{(96 kg)} class, setting junior world records in the clean and jerk with 496 lb ^{(225 kg)} and in the total with 875 lb ^{(397 kg)}. He continued his winning streak at the 6th International Qatar Cup in 2019, also in Doha, where he again took gold in the 212 lb ^{(96 kg)} category, achieving a personal best in the clean and jerk with 503 lb ^{(228 kg)} and a total of 891 lb ^{(404 kg)}.