‘Afghanistan Refugee’ Para Taekwondo Player Kudadadi Wins European Championship
Escape ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics… Top international competition in 2 years
“I will challenge for the Paris Paralympic Games… I will give a message to Afghan women”
Zakia Kudadadi
Zakia Kudadadi (24), a disabled taekwondo player
who fled Afghanistan two years ago and participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,
became the European champion.
Kudadadi won the 2023 Taekwondo Women’s 47kg final
at the European Para Championships held in Rotterdam,
the Netherlands on the 14th (local time)
by beating Nurjihan Ekens (Turkiye) 2-0 in overtime.
He trailed 4-6 with a few seconds left before the end of regular time, and was behind,
but dramatically tied the game and played an extra game,
persistently pushed his opponent to win the gold medal.
This is the first time Kudadadi has won a major international tournament. 온라인카지노
After the game, he swallowed tears in an interview with foreign media
such as Inside the Games and said, “I am very happy to win for the first time.”
I will continue to challenge myself for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.”
Kudadadi, who was born with a congenital disability in his left arm,
learned taekwondo by watching Rohula Nikpai, the first Afghan athlete to win an Olympic medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He continued his career as an athlete in a difficult situation due to the unstable domestic situation, but he did not stop training, saying he would deliver hope to Afghan women with disabilities.
Kudadadi suffered a lot in 2021, when the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games were held.
At that time, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, it seemed that participation in the Tokyo Paralympics was canceled.
World Taekwondo Federation
With the help of the World Taekwondo Federation (WT), Kudadadi dramatically escaped from Kabul, and entered Tokyo, Japan via Paris, France, where she became the first female Paralympic athlete from Afghanistan.
At that time, Kudadadi was eliminated in the round of 16 in the women’s 49kg class, but made a big impact around the world.
Afterwards, Kudadadi continued her training based in France with the help of the French Taekwondo Association.
She competed on this day as well as she wore a uniform for the French national team.
She expressed her will to compete in international competitions with the refugee team, not the French national team.
“If she does well at the Paralympic Games in Paris, she will be able to send a big message to Afghan women,” he said.