ELNAHAS Shady

General
INFLUENTIAL BROTHER
He says he often asks for the advice of his brother Mohab, who is also an international judoka, during competitions. "[His support] is very important because Mohab knows my judo better than I know my judo. Before a big fight, I always call him. My brother is obsessed with judo - he watches judo 24/7 on YouTube so he knows the style of everybody, he knows what to do and what not to do against them. I think my coach and Mohab are the only two people I trust and I listen to."

CHANGING STANCES
He says he switched from his natural right-handed stance to left in order to combat his brother Mohab. "In judo I started as a right hander. But then Mohab would always control my sleeve so I could never fight, so I switched to left to protect myself. Because of this, I began to always start with this, so it became a habit to fight left-handed. This kept going for years and then I just became comfortable being left-handed in judo. Mohab knew what to do to make me fight better as a lefty and of course, it just kept going." (olympics.com, 11 Jan 2021)

FROM EGYPT TO CANADA
He moved from Egypt to Canada with his family at age 11 and says judo helped him adapt to life in a new country. "It's true that when I first came to Canada and went to training, everybody was welcoming. I think with judo overall, anywhere you go in the world, it is very friendly. The sport teaches you how to be, how to carry yourself. It kind of attracts more people to you so it makes you more likeable. I didn't do judo for a year but when I came to Canada, but when I started judo again I was like, 'Wow, I love the sport and I can do well'." (olympics.com, 11 Jan 2021)