Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed she competed at the Paris Olympics on Monday while seven months pregnant.

Hafez caused an upset in the opening round to reach the last 16 of the women’s sabre before losing to 10th seed Jeon Ha-young.

But her remarkable revelation came later on Instagram in a post titled “Seven months pregnant Olympian!’, when she announced she had been competing while carrying her “little Olympian”.

Hafez, who also represented her country in Rio and Tokyo, wrote: “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three!

“It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby! My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional.

“The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it.

“I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16! I’m lucky to have shared the trust of my husband @ibrahimihab11 and that of my family to be able to come this far.

“This specific Olympics was different; Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian one.”