Osama Khalifa
|
Osama Khalifa Competes at Nationals in 2015 | |
| Full name | Osama Khaled Khalifa |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Osos/Sam |
| Country |
 Egypt |
| Residence | New York City |
| Born |
March 19, 1995 Cairo, Egypt |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 80 kg (180 lb) |
| Retired | Active |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Coached by | Amr Khaled Khalifa |
| Racquet used | Tecnifibre |
Career highlights and awards
| |
Osama Khaled Khalifa (Arabic: أسامة خليفة; born 1995) is an Egyptian squash player who currently plays for Columbia University. Khalifa first competed in swimming and then squash at the age of eight at the Maadi Club in Cairo.
Early life and education
Born in Cairo, Khalifa has four siblings, including older brother Amr Khaled Khalifa who won the individual and team World Junior Squash Championships in 2010. Khalifa was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt and attended high school at the Sakkara International School in Cairo, Egypt maintaining high honors. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts in 2014 where he was on the honor roll.
Career
Khalifa won the British Junior Open Squash Under-13 group in 2008.[1] He also won the Pioneer Cup Germany Under-17[2] and the Dutch Junior Open in the U17 and U19 categories. At age 16, he was one of the youngest players ever to win the Dutch Junior Open.[3][4]
In 2010, Khalifa won the French Junior Open U15.[5]
In 2011 and 2012, the European Squash Federation ranked Khalifa as a top 3 player in Europe.[6]
In 2012, Khalifa competed in the PSA Barossa Valley Open in Australia, where he lost to the second seed Mike Corren in the semi finals.[7][8]
In September 2012, Khalifa enrolled as a high school junior at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Khalifa was undefeated during his entire two-year tenure at Deerfield. He led Deerfield Academy to finish at their best ever, fourth place position at the United States High School Team Squash Championships held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in February 2013, and a second place finish at the New England Championships.[9] He won the New England High School Individual Championship title both years he competed, in 2013 and 2014. Khalifa reached the finals of the US Open Championship in December 2012,[10] losing only to Karim El Hammamy, who became the Individual World Junior Champion later that season.
In February 2013, Khalifa represented the Egyptian national team in the World Junior Squash Championship in Wroclaw, Poland.[11][12]
In March 2014, Khalifa matriculated to Columbia University. During his freshman year, Khalifa won the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award, was named a 1st Team All-American, and finished #2 in the Nation.[13][14][15]
In Spring 2015, the Columbia Lions climbed from the 6th place overall to their best ever 4th place overall at the United States Intercollegiate Team Squash Championships held at Trinity College in Connecticut. Khalifa was named a co-captain of the Columbia team for the 2015-16 year, as a sophomore.[16][17][18]
During the 2015-16 season, Khalifa set a 7–0 Ancient Eight record at the No. 1 position, becoming the second player in program history to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors. A 9-0 regular season record and a CSA National Championships Pool Trophy (A Division) appearance led to his second consecutive first team All-America selection. Additionally, Khalifa was selected for Academic All-Ivy honors both freshman and sophomore years.
References
- ↑ http://www.squashsite.co.uk/bjo/history/today08.htm
- ↑ http://www.squashsite.co.uk/2009/pioneerjunioropen2011.htm
- ↑ http://www.squashsite.co.uk/2009/dutchjunioropen20111.htm
- ↑ http://www.squashsite.co.uk/2009/dutchjunioropen2010.htm
- ↑ Germain Escriva. "FRENCH JUNIOR SQUASH OPEN". frenchjunioropen.com.
- ↑ "ESF - ESF Junior Ranking". tournamentsoftware.com.
- ↑ http://www.squashsite.co.uk/2009/barossavalley2012.htm
- ↑ "Squash Mad PSA/WSA: Corren and Francis drive off with Toyota titles - Squash Mad". Squash Mad.
- ↑ "Osama "Sam" Khalifa: Squash Wiz". deerfield.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "US Junior Open 2012". ussquash.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "Egyptians Dominate World Junior Quarter-Finals In Poland". World Squash.
- ↑ "Squash Mad WSF: Egyptians dominate quarter-finals - Squash Mad". Squash Mad. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "Osama Khalifa Cruises To CSA National Championship Finals Match". gocolumbialions.com The Official Athletics Website of Columbia University in the City of New York. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "Osama Khalifa Advances To Quarterfinals Of CSA National Championships". gocolumbialions.com The Official Athletics Website of Columbia University in the City of New York. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "Inspired by older brother, Osama Khalifa shines on the squash court". Columbia Daily Spectator.
- ↑ "2015 Men's College Squash All-Ivy League Team Announced". collegesquashassociation.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "Ivy League". ivyleaguesports.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "Men's Squash Sweeps Major All-Ivy League Awards". gocolumbialions.com The Official Athletics Website of Columbia University in the City of New York. Retrieved 13 August 2015.