Why Ismail Ezzeldin persisted with archery despite no initial rewards

The 128 archers shooting at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games represent not only a glimpse into what future senior Olympic Games line-ups may look like, but showcase the most exciting upcoming stars in the sport.

They are all clearly in the infancy of their careers, which will be shaped differently by setbacks and successes for each athlete. Yet one thing they have in common is possessing a natural talent with bow in hand that has fast-tracked them into a major event like Dakar.

That is everyone but Egypt’s recurve under-18 male participant in Senegal this week, Ismail Ezzeldin, whose initial touch to the sport wasn’t so natural.

In fact, when Ezzeldin, 16, first picked up a bow, aged just four, there was little to suggest that one day he would represent Egypt at any level in archery, let alone the Youth Olympic Games.

Horse riding was, and still is, another genuine passion of his, and one at which he excelled far more during his early years. Yet, despite his natural ability on the saddle, it was archery that ultimately captured his imagination.

“I first started shooting at school, where archery was one of five sports I was doing,” revealed Ezzeldin. “Eventually, I focused more on swimming, horse riding and archery, before narrowing it down to archery and horse riding.”

“I still ride horses today, and I absolutely love it, but I eventually found myself more connected to archery.”

On the table of sporting options, archery was thus not the obvious choice, especially given Egypt’s own rich history as a country in equestrian sport, which dates back to a deep-rooted heritage with the animal. Modern pentathlon - which for decades had horse riding as one of its disciplines before it was swapped for obstacle recently - is another sport in which Egypt excels and which also includes swimming, again one of Ezzeldin’s greatest strengths as a youngster.

Therefore, a career in horse riding offered him something at which he was already good at, with far more guarantees in terms of recognition, and was much more embedded in Egyptian sporting culture than archery.

For Ezzeldin, however, the constant search for the perfect shot, the mental concentration required for every arrow went beyond simply winning and eventually extended beyond horse riding as a whole.

“Something I’m particularly proud of is that, during my first seven years in archery, I never won a medal or even came close to standing on the podium.”

“But I never gave up because I genuinely loved the sport itself. Eventually, all that patience and hard work paid off, and I finally reached the podium.”

“I haven’t looked back since. Now, I’m hoping to take another step forward and hopefully find myself on the Youth Olympic podium here in Dakar.”

That decision to stay with archery, even when the results were not forthcoming at first, is a defining feature of his ongoing tale.

Since he made his international debut last season at the European Cup - where he set an African under-18 ranking round record of 621, which he broke again at the Oran 2026 African Archery Championships with a score of 650 - Ezzeldin has garnered three gold and two silver medals at the last two African Championships [Abidjan 2025 and Oran] in the youth category.

Two of the golds were in the mixed team alongside Nouray Elsayed, who is also his partner at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium this week.

It is therefore a remarkable foundation for a career that has gathered so much momentum over the last two years and, without doubt, makes him one of the entries from the continent you’d put your bets on to win something.

The penny may have taken while to drop for him on the shooting line though the grind to get to his position is not lost on Ezzeldin.

“It felt incredibly special,” he said when asked about the moment he realised last year in Abidjan that he would be going to Dakar. “Going to the Youth Olympic Games was something I had only dreamed of, especially since it was a dream my club coach had first introduced to me just two years earlier.”

“Realising that it was actually happening felt unbelievable. Even until this moment, I keep reminding myself: ‘You are competing alongside the best athletes in your sport from all around the world. Enjoy every moment of it.’”

“I think that’s something I really want to take with me throughout this experience. What makes the Youth Olympic Games even more special is having athletes from so many different countries and backgrounds all coming together,” he added. “It creates a completely different atmosphere and gives the competition a much bigger feeling than a regular sporting event.”

Whilst many may not have known before Dakar, Ezzeldin is exuding a humility that really is quite noticeable this week.

It’s a trait far beyond his years, yet he has it, and this can be further proven by how he explained the other day the way in which he views certain big moments in life, like Dakar, to help him “stay confident” rather than succumb to anxiety.

From as young as four to 11, he knew that despite few rewards in the beginning, archery was the direction that suited him best, batting away the other sports where he did have that initial success.

This maturity is priceless and, quite frankly, frighteningly impressive.

It’s little wonder Ismail Ezzeldin got second seed in qualifications yesterday, and it’ll be even less of a surprise should he go on to win medals in Dakar.

The young polymath that chose archery faces Belarusian Hleb Akunevich tomorrow in the 1/16 round.