Ibrahim Hamato

Ibrahim Al Husseini Hamato

Personal information
Nationality	Egyptian
Born	Egypt
Residence	Kafr Saad, Egypt
Sport
Country	Egypt
Sport	Para table tennis
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	32 (2006)[1]
Medal record Men’s Class 6 Para table tennis[2] Representing  Egypt 2013 African Championships Class 6 2011 African Championships Class 6-8 2013 Egypt Open Class 6

Ibrahim Al Husseini Hamato, 41, is an Egyptian Para table tennis Champion, winning several honors over the years, including the silver medals in the African Para table tennis Championships in 2011 and 2013.^[3]

Hamato lost both his arms as the result of a train accident when he was 10. He in an interview with CNN said "In our village, we could only play, at that time, table tennis and soccer that's why I played both. It was logic to play soccer first due to my case; then I played table tennis as a challenge."^[4]

Hamato has also won an appreciation award under 6th Edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award for the category of athlete who achieved success in sports despite major humanitarian challenges (category of people with special needs) after earning second place and winning the silver medal during the African Para table tennis Championships in December 2013.^[5]

Family

Hamato is married and is a father of three.^[6]

Famous quotes^[7]

While playing with the world's best players in 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships, Hamato stunned these world-class players and the spectators. A video of such matches was also uploaded on YouTube which shows his impeccable skills.^[8] Many players said amazing things about him after these matches, a few of which are as follows -

"He played very good, I could not believe!" - Ma Long, No.1 table tennis player in the world;

"He played really, really good. I can't believe he plays with his mouth, I have never seen something like this before!" - Jun Mizutani, No. 1 table tennis player in Japan;

"The disability is not in arms or legs, the disability is to not persevere in whatever you would like to do." - Ibrahim Hamato.

References