Egyptian swimmers Osman and Elaraby handed Olympics boost after 50m butterfly included for LA 2028

The world of swimming is rejoicing following news that all 50m events will be included in the LA 2028 Olympics programme – and perhaps none more so than Egyptian sprinters Farida Osman and Abdelrahman Elaraby.

For the first time, the Olympic Games will feature the 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke, and 50m breaststroke races, for men and women, adding a total of six medal events to the swimming programme.

With the 50m butterfly considered to be their signature event, both Osman and Elaraby are excited to see the fastest race in their preferred stroke make it to the world’s biggest stage.

“I know there have been talks about it for a while. Everyone has been really wanting it since Paris. The fact that they’ve finally done it for LA, we all feel like, ‘finally, it’s happening’,” Osman told The National.

Elaraby echoed her sentiments, saying: “I'm ecstatic about this. Super, super excited. It's going to change so many things, and I'm here for it, to be honest.”

Osman, 30, is the most successful Egyptian swimmer in history, and was the first from her nation to medal at a World Championship when she clinched bronze in the 50m fly in Budapest 2017. She repeated the feat two more times, in 2019 and 2024, and has shown unparalleled consistency in her signature event, reaching the final in seven consecutive World Championships.

The Cairene is a three-time Olympian but never got the chance to showcase her 50m fly prowess at the Games, instead contesting the 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle and butterfly events, which have all been part of the Olympic programme since at least Seoul 1988.

“The eyes on the Olympics are always more than on the World Championships, even though the competition is exactly the same. But people in general focus more on the Olympics,” explained Osman.

“So, the fact that finally my event is in the Olympics and Egyptians can see me compete in it in the Olympics, that just gives you a different motivation.”

Osman was meant to compete at a fourth consecutive Olympic Games last year in Paris, but missed out due to a mix-up over eligibility rules that was discovered just a few weeks before the start. It was a heartbreaking blow for her, given she was just 0.02 seconds shy of the A-cut qualifying time for the 50m freestyle event.

While Osman is not ready to commit to the LA 2028 Olympics just yet, given she is still mentally recovering from last year’s setback, she has kept up with her training at her base in Cairo and plans on competing in this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.

“Honestly, after Paris, I was very demotivated and I was down. But I didn’t want to make any rash decisions until I really figured out what I want,” she admits.

“So I told myself I’m just going to give myself some time and see how I feel. I kept up with my training and everything but just me, mentally, taking my time to really decide what I want to do.

“And the news about the 50s is really encouraging for me and has given me lots of motivation. I heard the news and I felt really excited.”

The announcement has certainly provided a welcome boost for Osman, especially given the upcoming Olympics will be staged in Los Angeles, less than 400 miles south of Berkeley, where she spent her college years studying and swimming for the University of California, Berkeley.

“My family were joking that they need to renew their US visas and stuff,” added Osman, who is a multiple-time NCAA champion. “Of course, I wish it were sooner, but I will never say no to the 50 butterfly in the Olympics.”

Osman will be 33 when the next Olympic Games come around but she is convinced she can be just as competitive, irrespective of her age.

“A lot of people have competed at the Olympics in their 30s,” she said. “Therese Alshammar was in her late 30s. Dara Torres was 41 [in her last Olympics]. Sarah Sjostrom [the 50 fly and 50 free world record holder] is going to be almost 35 in LA. So the mentality of, like, being in your 30s, you’re supposed to be done because you’re old, it’s not a thing anymore, even when it comes to the sprint events.

“I see comments in Egypt that just because I turned 30, my prime is over, I really don’t believe so, given the examples we have of many swimmers around the world.”

While Osman is pacing herself and isn’t ready to make any big declarations just yet about her intentions for LA 2028, Elaraby – famously nicknamed 'Haridi' – has set himself some big targets for the next few years.

The 25-year-old was a finalist in the 50m butterfly at the World Championships in Fukuoka in 2023 and clocked an Egyptian national record of 22.94s in the semi-finals, which is just 0.04s off of Roland Schoeman’s African record set in 2009.

After completing his undergraduate studies at University of Louisville and his Master’s degree at Notre Dame, Elaraby has been working in the United States as a marketing administrative coordinator at a nonprofit that helps athletes transition into life after sport.

Alongside his job, Elaraby has been running his own practices, gaining access to the pool at Notre Dame courtesy of a friend. He is often joined by a small group of swimmers who haven’t been able to compete for the university because Notre Dame’s men’s swimming and diving team had been suspended for a year over a betting scandal.

Elaraby and his practice partners jokingly dubbed themselves the ‘Criminal Swim Club’ and they alternated taking responsibility of writing up plans for each training session. When the Egyptian signed up for the Bergen Swim Festival – a major swim meet in Norway – he started taking practice more seriously. He bought books and studied up on energy systems and best practices, and filled up his journals with do’s and don’ts, which helped him take the lead on formulating his practice schedule.

With his work authorisation expiring next month, Elaraby will have to relocate from the United States and isn’t sure exactly what his next steps will be, but he is confident he will find a way to keep training as he continues to chase his dreams.

“I want to do it. So, I'm going to find a way to do it. I want to win World Championships this year,” stated Elaraby, who has already qualified for the upcoming Worlds in Singapore in the 50m fly.

“I want to be the first that would win a gold medal in World Championships. I want to be first-ever Egyptian [swimming] medal in the Olympics. Hopefully, again, another gold medal.

“I believe I have the capabilities of it. I don't want to say I've just never been presented the right circumstances and things like that, because these are just all excuses. But I would love to have a better way, a little bit easier way. I want the hard thing to be the sport itself.”

Elaraby believes that including all 50m events in the Olympic programme “will change the landscape of the sport” and can attract a wider audience because sprints can provide a more exciting viewing experience for a casual swimming fan.

For him personally, having his signature event at the Olympics can open new doors.

“It is very exciting for me now because I don't have to worry about changing the landscape of my training, planning, warm-up, warm down, all this kind of stuff, just to fit in the 50 free. And honestly, there was this, I don't want to say classes, but like, it's almost like those who swam the Olympic races looked down on those who did not,” he explained.

“Every single time I would try to go and talk to somebody, like, hey, would you, like, sponsor me? Here's what I do. Have you been to the Olympics? And I'm like, no. And then they're like, alright, conversation ends here. Like, don't let the door hit you on the way out, or something like that.

“And it's crazy because, I mean, I've been top eight [in the world]. An even better, way better, example than me is Farida Osman. Farida has been a World Championship medallist in the 50 fly for three times. She's been to multiple Olympics, but then people attack her during the Olympic time, like, oh, she didn't even make it in finals. These people really don’t get it.”

Elaraby is considering his next steps and is looking at training base options in Egypt, UAE, Qatar, and Europe. He successfully coached himself to a qualification ticket to the World Championship; one can only imagine what he can achieve with just a little bit more help.