Ayad achieved a historic achievement for Egyptian sports when she booked a place at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, after defeating Algerian champion Fatima Abdelkader (3-1) in the 54-kilogram category, and qualified for the final match of the African Championship held in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

Ayad, a player of Egypt's women's boxing team, won the silver medal after losing the final to Morocco's Widad Bartal (5-0), in the -54 kg competition.

The African Championship in Senegal was attended by 280 boxers, representing 40 countries, seven of whom qualified for the Olympic Games, including Youmna Ayad.

Last year, Ayad won the first women's medal in Egypt's history in the game, when she won bronze at the Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria.

Ayad spoke to Sky News Arabia about her achievement, saying:

  • My joy cannot be described qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics as the first Egyptian woman in boxing in history, and this has been my dream since I started my career in the game.
  • My match against the Algerian champion was the most difficult during the African qualifying tournament for the Olympics because that was the play-off that determines the qualifier, and I was feeling a lot of psychological pressure, but my determination was greater, thank God, I won and I was the qualifier for the Olympics.
  • I was preparing for the African qualifiers strongly, as we were set up for a month camp at the Olympic Sports Center in Egypt and then we moved to train in Morocco and then to Senegal.
  • I started preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics now because this is a historic opportunity that may not be repeated and I am determined to win an Olympic gold medal.
  • I am now 20 years old and I am a third-year student at the Faculty of Education at Damietta University and I come from an average family living in Damietta.
  • Boxing started exactly 5 years ago and the challenges were difficult because some people see this sport as not suitable for girls, but I am happy with the achievements I have achieved in a short time.
  • I receive full support from my family, the Boxing Federation and the Ministry of Sports, but my greatest happiness is when I see the joy of the Egyptian public with what I am achieve, so I promise them to continue on the path and achieve greater achievements for the name of Egypt.