Retirement is often viewed as the final
whistle in an athlete’s career. However, this is not the case with several
former athletes. Mohamed Reda, a former boxer is a striking example.
For the boxing champion, it was not
the end, but rather a new start for a different path in the sport.
Captain Reda was generous enough to
give us an insight into his life after retirement as a boxer.
In the following interview, Reda leads us through his life after retiring as a boxer holder of several prominent medals. He speaks about redefining success, and seeking to make of his wins a lasting impact.
Q: How did you feel the first days
after you left boxing?
A: During the first I felt a sort of
vacuum, not that of time, but…. of feeling.
As a boxer, I used to wake up with a
very clear goal, having a tournament, a training camp, weight, or a competition,
and then, all of a sudden, it’s all gone! No more starting whistle.
But after the initial shock, I began
to understand that retirement isn’t the end of the journey… it’s just changing
the field.
Q: What does your daily routine look
like these days? And what are the main things you focus on?
A: Well! Of course has entirely
changed. The routine has changed, but the system or the discipline.
I am concentrating on training, not
for joining a championship, but as a lifestyle, leading a healthy life.
I am keen on being amidst younger
boxers at my academy. I see my dream continuing through them.
I learn about, administration, marketing,
self-development, because a true champion must keep evolving throughout life.
Q: Do you think there are advantages
of life after retirement for an individual sport champion in Egypt?
A: The advantage is that you turn from
a champion competing for himself, into one building other, or rather, future
champions.
In individual sports, you bear responsibility
alone, and that makes you mentally and administratively stronger after
retirement.
But the challenge is that you must
redefine yourself, and create value beyond the medals you have won.
Q: How do you measure success now?
A: In the past, success was to win a
medal. Now, success is measured when one sees a young athlete whose behavior is
improving, a girl who gains self-confidence, a young man who becomes
disciplined and respectful, or a successful project that creates job
opportunities.
Now, success is to leave an impact,
not just to achieve a title.
Q: Spotlights are fading around you
as a champion, but what remains constant, or unchanged, inside you?
A: This is the passion for competition,
commitment, and the belief that God has entrusted me with a certain message,
not just achievements.
The spotlight may fade… but the fire inside a true champion never does.
Q: What do you aspire to achieve in
your life now after you retired?
A: I hope one day I will see an
athlete I’ve trained competing in the
Olympic Games, a winner on the podium, raising Egypt’s flag.
I also have a dream of setting up a sports
establishment, to function as a true model of boxing professionalism in Egypt
and the Arab world.
The dream goes on, but on larger scale.
Q: Complete the sentence for
Sportify: Life after retirement is…
A: Life after retirement is the
beginning of a different kind of championship.
A championship that leaves an impact,
builds champions, and leaves a legacy that lives longer than any medal.
Through the interview, Captain Reda has
left a deep impression that a champion’s retirement does not mark the end of an
athelete’s career, but the start of a new phase of life that could help him/her
leave a lasting impact. The spotlight may dim, but purpose grows brighter.
Reda believes that life after
retirement isn’t about what has been achieved, but about the legacy he has left.
0 Comments