NEW YORK - Columbia alum Sherif Farrag '09CC will become the fifth Columbia fencer to compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games later this summer. Farrag qualified to join the Egyptian national fencing team and will compete in the men's foil competition.

A native of Bayonne, N.J., Farrag was a two-time team captain at Columbia. As a senior in 2009, he won 11 bouts at the NCAA Championships, finishing just one win shy of All-American honors. A two-time first team All-Ivy League honoree, Farrag competed twice at the NCAA Championships during his college career.

Farrag joins United States Olympic nominees James Williams '07CC, Jeff Spear '10CC (men's sabre) and Nicole Ross '12CC and Nzingha Prescod '15CC (women's foil) in the quest for gold at the 2012 London Olympics. The fencing portion of the Olympics will run from July 28 to August 5.