UNDATED (CNN) - For the athletes, training for the Olympic competition can be a grueling test of endurance and commitment. But perhaps no athlete at the London games has faced challenges like Egyptian sprinter Amr Seoud.
He had to run his way through a revolution.
Few Egyptians were unaffected by the uprising of 2011, which overthrew former leaders and changed the lives of millions.
"I actually got the letter on Facebook...January 25 that there is a little strike against the police department. And we just went for this reason. But when we started shooting people and killing people on the street, then it becomes a revolution. So the people were not only against the police but they become, they became against the whole system," says Seoud.
While athletes in different parts of the world prepared for the 2012 Olympics, Seoud had his plans derailed.
"I completely forgot about athletics at this time because the entire country is going crazy and there's no way to think about training or athletics or stuff. Actually if there was a World Championship at this time, I wasn't going to do it. "
But the Cairo-based runner stuck to pursuing his dream despite also experiencing an end to his government back funding.
"Funding is the biggest challenge. He needs to be in the US training with me all the way from now until the Olympics. The question is do we have enough money, do Egypt Track and Field have enough money to do that; that's the biggest challenge. Before the last world championship, there was not enough funding to do all of this - physic therapy, rehab and having him stay in a hotel/boarding room and everything. So I decided to host him at home. So we stayed together at my place for 7 weeks before the world championship, we saved the money and we had a decent performance there," says Karim Abdel Wahab, Seoud's coach.
But despite the setbacks, his coach remains upbeat about his student's chances.
For Seoud, his Olympic cause is greater than just winning a medal.
"Actually I used to love competing for Egypt even before the revolution ... After the revolution, I feel like more people going to represent my country because they really need it. they need somebody to show what is Egypt and what is this country and tell everybody the whole rest of the world 'hey we are here. We're not away yet," says Seoud.