Miami Hurricanes diver Mohamed Farouk set to represent Egypt at Paris Olympics: “You can’t compare that feeling to anything else”

Growing up as a swimmer in his hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, becoming a competitive diver was never the goal for University of Miami junior Mohamed Farouk . Over time, Farouk’s interest in diving began to grow after watching a group at his local swim club, and he decided to give it a shot.

Although Farouk was discouraged by some not to pursue diving due to his non-gymnastic background, that never stopped him from making the transition, and that has paid off now as he is set to represent Egypt as a diver in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“I started as a swimmer like most divers did,” Farouk told CaneSport. “At first I was told I didn’t have the necessary abilities to do it because they said you have to do gymnastics first, and I didn’t do gymnastics at all. They were kind of trying to push me away, but I insisted on doing it, and this is how far I’ve gotten so far.”

Farouk qualified for the Olympics in December at the African Diving Championships in the 3-meter springboard event. Making the Olympic team for his country has always been his dream.

“It feels great because this has been my dream forever and since I started sports,” Farouk said. “I honestly felt great because, in Africa, there aren’t that many countries that have diving besides Egypt and South Africa. It feels great to make it because you can’t compare the feeling to anything else. The moment (I qualified) I felt like I had achieved my dreams. It feels great to be able to do something like this and represent my country on the biggest sports stage on the planet. Very grateful for it.”

This past season at Miami, Farouk earned All-American honors on the 1-meter springboard after finishing fifth nationally at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis in March. Farouk posted a score of 349.75 to earn one of eight coveted spots in the 1-meter finals at the IU Natatorium. He went on to finish fifth with a score of 385.45.

Prior to his time with the Canes, Farouk spent his freshman season at Alabama before ultimately entering the transfer portal two years ago. While it was a hard decision with plenty of uncertainty, he knew Coral Gables was where he wanted to be under longtime and respected Miami head diving coach Randy Ableman and assistant coach Dario di Fazio.

“When I was in the transfer portal, I didn’t think I would have a chance to go to Miami because the program is insane,” Farouk said. “I always watched the divers on Instagram videos and stuff. I always thought to myself, `What if one day I could be there at the same place with those people?’ I didn’t think I had the chance to make it to Miami, but then one of my teammates told me to reach out because I wasn’t going to lose anything.

“Two weeks later I got a phone call from the head coach, Randy Ableman, and I couldn’t believe it. This program at Miami is something special because everyone on this team is basically the best in their country. Everyone is just working towards achieving greatness all the time, and you don’t find that at other programs.”

With the help of Ableman and di Fazio, Farouk believes he is more than ready to compete at the Olympics and is excited to show off his talents to the world.

“I don’t think I would have fit anywhere else,” Farouk said. “Our coaches, Randy and Dario, complement each other very well, and they know how to prepare us for big competitions like these because they’ve been doing it for so long. They’ve coached so many Olympians and national champions, so this is what they know how to do best. I was never worried about not being prepared because I was in the best place to train.”

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