“I am grateful and gratified for being honoured by my Egyptian [Coptic] Church in the America,” wrote Mina Ebeid, an Egyptian resident in Florida, on his Facebook page upon being honoured in an event by the church of St Mary and St Mina in Florida.
Mr Ebeid, who is also a pharmacist, won the gold medal in a deadlift by lifting 345kg in the Mr Olympia World Championship held in Florida.
The Egyptian champion told ++Watani++, “I thank the pastors of my church: Fr Kyrillos, Fr Mina, and Fr Ermia, for honouring me, and especially for honouring my mother who shouldered the heavy burdens of life despite of her health problems. She is the reason behind my progress; she always pushes me ahead,” Mr Ebeid proudly said. The church gifted him with a picture of St Moses, a strong bodied villain who became a saint. Mr Ebeid said: “it is a valuable gift, most precious to me”.
The champion weightlifter is a church servant who focuses on sportive activities in Sunday school.