Karim Abdel Wahab

South Carolina Track & Field welcomed Karim Abdel Wahab as its newest assistant coach prior to the 2019 season. The veteran sprints and hurdles coach has been instrumental for the Gamecocks, helping the women experience some of the finest seasons in well over a decade.

During the 2022 season, Abdel Wahab coached 13 All-Americans and witnessed a handful of scorers at both the SEC Championships and NCAA Championships. Among those All-Americans were Stephanie Davis and Destinee Rocker. Rocker turned in the best 60m hurdles for indoor in Gamecock history (8.07) and registered the third-best 100m hurdle time of 12.95. Rocker also finished eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship to earn All-American status, while Davis earned hers as part of the 4x400m relay team – the same team that claimed the title at the Penn Relays. In fact, that same relay team of Davis, Dunmore, Frank and Registre still hold the program record for outdoor 4x400m with a time of 3:25.45.

The 2022 season also yielded athletes like Jayla Jamison who won the USATF JR nationals in the 200m and earned silver in the 200m at Worlds JR for Team USA. Jamison was also the first leg on the 4x100m relays at World JR, setting a new American record and helped her team earn silver medal, finishing only behind the relay team from Jamaica.

Abdel Wahab continues to work with Olympians and World Athletes, including the likes of Gamecock Alum Wadeline Jonathas. Jonathas, who continues to train in Columbia under Abdel Wahab’s tutelage, competed in the 400m for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. He has also coached Aliyah Abrams to the Tokyo Games for her home country of Guyana. Both Jonathas and Abrams made it to the semifinals of the 400m at the Olympics. Jonathas was also a member of the women’s 4×400 relay team that advanced in the first round of competition, later earning gold medal for her efforts. Abrams also competed in the World Indoor Championships where she finished fifth and broke the South American and Guyana record.

Prior to the shutdown of COVID-19, Abdel Wahab continued to coach Jonathas and Abrams throughout their run to the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Abrams captured the Guyana national title in the 400m while Jonathas qualified for Team USA with her finish at USA Nationals. Jonathas eventually reached the IAAF World Championship final in the 400m and posted a new collegiate record of 49.60 to finish fourth in the world.

In his first year, Abdel Wahab’s student-athletes achieved numerous milestones, including the women’s 4x400m relay team winning the NCAA Indoor Championship. Abrams turned in silver medalist honors in the 400m sprint at the NCAA Indoor Championship that same season. Moving over to the outdoor season, Abdel-Wahab coached Jonathas to an NCAA Championship in the women’s 400m, while her teammate Abrams placed fifth overall in the 400m. That year, South Carolina was the only school in the nation that sent two women to the NCAA finals in the 400m and both achieved personal bests in the finals.

Abdel Wahab came to Columbia after eight seasons in charge of the sprinters and hurdlers at Colorado State University. His student-athletes combined for 13 new school records, including three Mountain West Conference records.

During his eight seasons in Fort Collins, Abdel Wahab led his student-athletes to six All-America honors and one honorable mention All-America honor. From 2012-14, Abdel Wahab coached Trevor Brown to five All-America finishes, including laurels in the 110m and 400m hurdles outdoors and the 60m hurdles indoors. Brown left CSU as the Mountain West’s record-holder in the 60mH (7.73) and 110mH (13.55).

On the women’s side, Abdel Wahab molded Lorenda Holston into an All-American in the 60m and 100m hurdles in 2017. Holston set the Mountain West’s all-time record in the 60mH (8.06).

Before joining the staff at Colorado State, Abdel Wahab spent four seasons at the University of Northern Colorado. He coached UNC’s first-ever NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifiers in the men’s 100m and 200m, helped four Bears set new school records and led multiple Big Sky Conference champions. He also spent two seasons at Colorado School of Mines.

Outside of the collegiate level, Abdel Wahab served as the personal coach for Fort Collins native and 2012 Olympic long jump bronze medalist Janay DeLoach. Under Abdel Wahab’s tutelage, DeLoach finished third in the long jump at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, earning a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympics. DeLoach was also a long jump finalist at the 2016 World Indoor Championships and a 100m hurdles finalist at the 2015 World Outdoor Championships under Abdel Wahab’s leadership.

Abdel Wahab has also served as a team coach for the Egypt National Team at the 2010 African Championships, the 2011 World Outdoor Championships, the 2012 World Indoor Championships and the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Among those to train under Abdel Wahab are Amr Seoud, Egypt’s national record holder in the 100m and 200m, and Anas Beshr, who set a national record in the 400m to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Recognized as one of the top sprints and hurdles coaches in the world, Abdel Wahab has published several articles discussing the mechanics and methodologies of each discipline. He has taught extensively on the subject throughout the United States and Canada.

A native of Egypt, Abdel Wahab graduated in 2002 from Helwan University in Cairo with a degree in sports and exercise science. He is a USATF Level I Coach and is recognized as an ISSA Fitness Trainer and ISSA Fitness Therapist.