An injury sustained at a critical period during qualification for Paris 2024 cost Nour Ahmed Youssri a possible Olympic spot, but the Egyptian now believes the setback helped make her stronger as she sets her sights on LA 2028.
The left Achilles injury, sustained in February 2023, derailed her Paris ambitions, but in an interesting turn of events, Youssri finds herself in that very city, training with a club and living the life she always dreamt of – being a professional player. Training at Athletic Club Boulogne Billiancourt (ACBB) saw her arrive in peak condition for the All Africa Individual Championships last month, and she duly won the women’s singles, three years since her first victory.
“Winning my second African title was huge for me,” says the 21-year-old, who moved to Paris in December. “It wasn’t just another tournament because after everything I went through – injuries, missing Paris 2024, losing in the first round in 2023 – it was about proving to myself that I could come back stronger.
Nour Ahmed Youssri of Egypt
“This victory wasn’t just mine, it belonged to my family too, because moving to another country wasn’t easy for any of us. But they believed in me, they understood the sacrifices and my disappointments every step of the way. So seeing them happy after I won was worth it. I know I wouldn’t be there without them and it also means so much for African badminton as a whole. Right now there’s a big shift happening, so many African players are motivated, working harder and believing that we can compete at the highest level.”
Youssri believes that, once Paris 2024 was out of reach, her determination to keep going has seen her evolve as a person and as a player. She’s now thankful for everything that she has gone through.
“I’ve grown a lot mentally from this experience, like chasing this challenge has make me grow as a player. Everything happens for a reason and just to take this challenge and come back again and prove to myself that it’s OK, it’s not the end if we didn’t qualify, you can try another time. And I felt really good after that and I’m looking forward to what’s next.
“It wasn’t just about the injury but badminton for me for the last few years was difficult. Moving to Paris was a huge step, something I have been looking at for a very long time, like training full-time under a coach (Luka Zdenjak) has changed my approach. I have a good professional setup where everything is structured and at a high level. Before this, things were tough in Egypt, I didn’t have my coach while travelling for two years after 2022. So, I had to build my own training programmes and rely on friends and teammates to maintain my level.
Nour Youssri
“Of course, there was my university (studies) too so it was exhausting mentally, but I never stopped working. So now being in Paris, I finally have the setup I’ve been looking for. I feel like I’m in the best place to grow the support I’ve received from my new club. My teammates have been incredible, they welcomed me like family and that made my transition so much easier. Training wise. my focus has been on improving on consistency, speed, shot positions, strength. I was also making sure that my body is strong enough after all the injuries. But more than anything, my mindset is different. I’m hungrier and more focused, and I know exactly what I’m doing.”
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