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Egypt deliver perfect final to be crowned champions at the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship

21 Sep. 2024

Egypt deliver perfect final to be crowned champions at the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship

Two years after securing the silver medal at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, Egypt delivered a perfect performance and finally were crowned world champions, with a 2:0 (6:1; 12:6) win over the United States of America.

FINAL
United States of America vs Egypt 0:2 (1:6; 6:12)

Two years ago, at the maiden edition of the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, Egypt went to the final, on their home court, in the Dr Hassan Moustafa Hall in 6 of October, but dramatically conceded a shoot-out loss against Brazil, in one of the most exciting matches in the history of wheelchair handball.

The competition was back in the same arena, with Egypt having a newfound ambition to secure the title, after they were denied last time by Brazil. But ahead of them was a hefty challenge, with the United States of America, a debutant on the biggest of stages, but a team which was coming with a four-match winning streak into the final.

The question was if USAā€™s defence was going to hold against Egypt or the African side just had enough in their tank to secure the win, after a competition where they had some close calls, but eventually made it to the final.

And sure enough, the answer came fast, with Egypt dominating the start of the match, as USAā€™s issues were on finishing, as their first nine shots did not go in, with costly misses piling up and enabling Egypt to create an unassailable gap, which was their second largest in a set in this competition.

Egyptā€™s top scorer, Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas, was unstoppable for his side in the first set, scoring four points, two via a converted spin shot, which helped the African powerhouse to create a 4:0 lead. When USA first scored their point, via Chayse Wolf, it was too little, too late, with Egypt eventually sealing a 6:1 win in the first set.

USA, which constantly emphasised the need for a good defence, had to dig deep and find a solution in attack, wherein lied the problem in the first set, scoring a single goal. However, in the first five minutes of the second set, it was both the defence and the attack which were left lacking, as Egypt constantly dominated on both sides of the ball.

And when Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas really took the level up, it was game over. Two converted spin shots, which took his overall tally in the match to 15 points and handed him the top scorer of the competition, with 72 points, helped widen the gap, as Egypt were unstoppable in the last minutes of the match.

Once again, the team which won four sets by a single point and two more by only two points throughout the competition, had an outstanding performance, delivering their best outing exactly when it mattered the most, as the second set also went Egyptā€™s way, 12:6.

A fantastic display, on both sides of the ball, lifted Egypt to their maiden world championship crown, after securing their fifth win in six matches, with the only loss coming in the preliminary round against Portugal.

USA had to settle for silver, with the podium completed by Brazil, after another successful edition of the competition, which underlined the growth of wheelchair handball over the last years.