Zakia Khudadadi makes history by securing the refugee team's first-ever Paralympic medal with a bronze in taekwondo.

 

Zakia Khudadadi made history on Thursday as the first athlete from the Refugee Paralympic Team to win a medal at the Paralympics.

Originally from Afghanistan, Khudadadi now lives and trains in France. She claimed the bronze in the women’s K44 -47kg taekwondo category at the Paris Paralympics.

“This medal is a triumph not just for me, but for all Afghan women and refugees,” Khudadadi told reporters. “We continue to fight for equality and freedom in my homeland.”

Khudadadi faced a tough journey to the podium. After losing to Uzbekistan’s Ziyodakhon Isakova in the quarterfinals at the Grand Palais, she secured her place in the repechage, where she defeated Turkey’s Nurcihan Ekinci. Her victory was confirmed when her next opponent, Morocco’s Naoual Laarif, withdrew from the competition, ensuring Khudadadi the bronze medal.

The 25-year-old first competed in the Paralympics three years ago in Tokyo, having escaped Kabul during the Taliban's rise to power. Initially trapped in Afghanistan, she trained in secret in her backyard. It was only after a viral video appeal that Khudadadi was able to flee the country and continue her journey as a Paralympian.

"I was warned that if I stayed, the Taliban would come for me because I was a female athlete defying their rules," she told CNN Sport before the Paris Games. "I had no choice but to leave."

Born without a forearm, Khudadadi began competing in Para sports at the age of nine and eventually became the first Afghan woman to participate in taekwondo at the Paralympics.

Now settled in Paris after fleeing Afghanistan, she earned a place on the International Olympic Committee's Athlete Refugee Team for the Paralympics, representing millions of displaced people worldwide.

Reflecting on her achievement, Khudadadi expressed hope that Afghan women, who are barred from attending school or even leaving their homes without a male chaperone under Taliban rule, will draw inspiration from her medal and "one day achieve victory."

She added, "I dedicate this medal to the entire world. I dream of a day when there will be freedom in my country, across the globe, for all girls, for all women, and for all refugees. Let us all work together for liberty and equality."