Meet the brightest British sport star you’ve never heard of (and his equally brilliant brother)

Mohamed ElShorbagy and his younger sibling Marwan are among the most supremely gifted squash players in the world today. As their long-overlooked sport gears up for its first ever outing at the Olympics in 2028, Ben Bloom hears the remarkable story of how the Egypt-born duo are primed to take to the court to do battle… for Team GB

Mohamed ElShorbagy in action on the squash court (England Squash)

To be fair to Mohamed ElShorbagy, it was my mistake. Purely by virtue of speaking to his younger brother Marwan first, when it came to asking about Mohamed’s further education, the question was posed as to whether he “also” studied at Bristol’s University of the West of England.

“[Marwan] studied there like me, you mean?” replies Mohamed sternly. “Everything he has done in his life, he followed me.”

Only after a moment’s pause does he burst into laughter. “I’m kidding,” he adds. The ruthlessness he has employed to great success in his career has fraternal limits.