Zakia Khodadadi wins first Paralympic medal for Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Zakia Kodadadi, a member of the International Paralympic Committee’s Refugee Team, on Thursday became the first Afghan athlete to win a medal at the Paris Paralympics.

The Paralympic Games are the world’s largest sporting event for athletes with disabilities and will be held after the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Games feature thousands of athletes from around the world and showcase the athletic capabilities of people with disabilities in all areas of sport.

Win the first game

In his first match, he faced a Cuban opponent and won 21-11. This was his first victory in the Paralympics and also made him one of the top eight in the taekwondo competition of this Paralympic Games.

In addition, this victory is also the first victory of an Afghan athlete at the Kakhan Paralympic Games.

Lost the second game by a narrow margin

In the second match, Zakiya Kodadadi faced a strong Uzbek taekwondo player. In the end, Uzbekistan led 4:3, and Zakiya missed the semifinals and the gold medal. But this defeat did not stop him from continuing to compete, and he still had a chance to win the bronze medal, and his match and victory against the strong Turkish opponent could definitely pave the way for him to win the bronze medal.

All of Zakia’s matches were completed in one day, so within a few hours he was competing against a European champion from Turkey.

Victory is a strong word

After losing to his Uzbek opponent, Zakia Khodadai still had a chance to win a medal. In the second round, he faced the European champion Nurjehan Ekinci from Turkey. Zakia Khodadai closed the match with a decisive 9-1 victory and got one step closer to a historic Paralympic medal.

In the next game, Zakiya will have to face an opponent from Morocco, who is at least not as strong as his Turkish opponent.

Bronze medal

After defeating her Turkish opponent, Zakia Kodadadi faced a Moroccan taekwondo player. However, the Moroccan opponent withdrew from the competition due to injury, and Zakia Kodadadi won the bronze medal without a fight. This medal is the first medal won by an Afghan athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games.

Zakia Khodadadi won bronze The Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women have sparked reactions around the world, especially in recent months.

Zakiyeh Hodadadi is an Afghan disabled taekwondo athlete competing in the Paralympic Games for the first time.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Kodadadi left Afghanistan in 2021 to join the International Paralympic Committee Refugee Team. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, she was able to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021, becoming the first Afghan woman in the history of the competition.