Monica Behnam joined Coach Rehab Hamdy at the end of 2022, she was 30 years old and had no previous sport background. While she had participated in CrossFit recreationally, triathlon was completely new territory. Her initial goal was simple: complete a Super Sprint Triathlon and experience the sport for the first time.

At the start of her journey, swimming sessions were limited to approximately 700 meters, and her running volume rarely exceeded 5–6 kilometers. Rather than focusing on immediate performance, the priority was long term athlete development through a structured and progressive coaching approach.

The first phase focused on building fundamental triathlon skills. Swimming technique, stroke mechanics, open-water confidence, running efficiency, stride mechanics, cycling handling skills, and overall race-day competence became the foundation of her development. As her technical abilities improved, training volume and endurance capacity were gradually increased while carefully balancing recovery, injury prevention, and the demands of a full-time career.

Working a demanding 9am to 6pm schedule, Monica faced the same challenge many age-group athletes encounter: finding the balance between career, health, recovery, and high-performance training. Over the years, structured planning and long-term progression allowed her to consistently improve without sacrificing her well-being.

After only six months of dedicated training, Monica achieved her first major breakthrough, winning both Overall Female and Age Group titles in a Super Sprint Triathlon. This marked the beginning of a remarkable progression through the sport.

The following season, she stepped up to Sprint Triathlon racing and immediately made an impact, winning her first Sprint Distance race at the African Triathlon Championships. Her performance demonstrated significant improvements across all three disciplines, highlighted by a strong 5 km run split and consistent swimming and cycling performances.

As her experience grew, the focus shifted toward Olympic Distance racing. Early races exposed the challenges of pacing, energy management, race nutrition, and tactical decision making over longer distances. Through careful race analysis, structured training blocks, and extensive work on race strategy, Monica developed the skills required to perform consistently at this level.

One of the most important aspects of her development was not physical, but mental. Together, we worked extensively on race confidence, self-talk strategies, decision-making under fatigue, and building the mental resilience required for longer-distance racing. Learning how to manage the demands of the Olympic Distance mentally became just as important as preparing physically.

By May 2026, Monica achieved another major milestone by winning her Age Group at an Olympic Distance Triathlon on a challenging and technical course. The result reflected years of patient development, improved race execution, stronger nutrition and hydration strategies, and a level of race maturity that had been carefully built over time.

Alongside her triathlon achievements, Monica successfully completed multiple half marathons, including breaking the two-hour barrier, further demonstrating her endurance development.

Today, after more than three years of structured coaching, Monica has evolved from a complete beginner to a highly competitive age-group triathlete. Her next goal is her first IRONMAN 70.3 in Poznań, Poland, in August 2026. Looking further ahead, our long-term objective is qualification for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2028.