Sherif Mohamed Elbakry - Fencing Coach - University of North Carolina Athletics

Sherif Mohamed Elbakry

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
selbakry@unc.edu

Sherif Mohamed Elbakry has joined the North Carolina fencing program as an assistant coach in September of 2024.

The 2026 season was one of the best in program history. The men’s team finished seventh in the first-ever men’s national championships, which marked the third top ten finish at NCAAs and second under Coach Jednak Elden Wood, who was the first men’s saber fencer to earn back-to-back All-American honors in 32 years and only the fourth fencer to achieve the feat in program history.

The women’s team finished 15th at the NCAA with both Maria Capellua and Dangy Johnson making their NCAA debuts in the first-ever women’s championship, as Johnson finished sixth, which was one of the best finishes by a women’s freshman saber fencer since at least 2001. The freshman earned USFCA Women’s Saber Collegiate Newcomer of the Year honors. Johnson became the first women’s fencer to earn a national award in program history.

In his first season, he coached two of the best saber fencers in program history. Sophia Kovacs continued her dominance as she became the second women’s saber fencer to earn three All-America honors. Elden Wood earned his first All-America honors in his second straight appearance at the NCAA Championships as he finished 11th.

He arrives in Chapel Hill with over 25 year of coaching experience as a coach. Since 2012, he has been working with the Egyptian National Fencing Team.

As Egypt's national sabre coach, he participated in four Olympic games – Beijing (2008), Nanjing (2014), Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020). The Egyptians came in fifth as a team in Tokyo Olympic Games.

In additon, he's served as the former Head of the Arab coaches committee at the Egyptian fencing federation from 2018 until 2022.

As an athlete, Mohamed Elbakry competed for the Sabre National Team of Egypt from 1988-1996.