Refugee Athlete Zakia Khudadadi Creates Paralympics History, Dedicates Medal to 'Women of Afghanistan'

Zakia Khudadadi, the taekwondo fighter, has become the first-ever Refugee Paralympic Team medalist after winning bronze in Paris.

By Natasha Bose

Published on Aug 30, 2024 | 04:02 PM IST | 35.6K

Zakia Khudadadi’s Bronze Medal Marks Historic First for Refugee Paralympic Team (PC: Twitter)

On Thursday, the women of Afghanistan stood on the podium with Zakia Khudadadi. Zakia Khudadadi, an Afghan athlete, became the first member of the Paralympic refugee team to win a medal, clinching a bronze in taekwondo.

Khudadadi, who had made her Paralympics debut in Tokyo just days after being evacuated from Taliban-controlled Kabul, secured her spot on the podium when her opponent withdrew before their bronze medal match in the K44-47kg category.

When the final buzzer sounded at the Grand Palais, Zakia Khudadadi was overjoyed, tossing her helmet and mouthpiece into the air. “It was a surreal moment; my heart started racing when I realized I had won the bronze,” Khudadadi said, her voice trembling with emotion.

“I went through so much to get here,” the 25-year-old added. “This medal is for all the women of Afghanistan and all the refugees of the world. I hope that one day there will be peace in my country.”

Born without one forearm, Zakia Khudadadi began secretly practicing taekwondo at the age of 11 in a hidden gym in her hometown of Herat, located in western Afghanistan.

In 2021, Khudadadi fled Kabul after the Taliban regained control of the Afghan capital. Initially, as CNN reported, she was in hiding from the Taliban, which forced her to halt her training for the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.

Zakia Khudadadi writes history, re-writes destiny (PC: twitter)

Once she managed to leave the country, she headed to Tokyo to compete for the nation she had just escaped. Zakia Khudadadi now lives in Paris, but before the Paris Games, she told CNN that competing with the Refugee Team was her way of showing Afghan women their strength.

“This is a chance to inspire,” she told CNN. “To show women and girls that they are more than they’re made [to] feel by the Taliban. To show that the women of Afghanistan are strong and can achieve great things.”

Just a week before Zakia Khudadadi's victory at the 2024 Paralympics, which commenced on Aug 28, the Taliban imposed a ban on the sound of women's voices in public spaces in Afghanistan, requiring them to cover themselves completely and refrain from speaking, reading, or singing in public. This was part of a series of new restrictions, as reported by the Associated Press.

Previously, women were already barred from education, banned from universities, and had “virtually every aspect” of their human rights violated, according to Human Rights Watch, which has led to what many describe as "the most serious women’s rights crisis in the world."

Zakia Khudadadi received her medal from Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee.

“For the Refugee Paralympic Team, it’s super special; it’s super important,” Parsons said. “Zakia just showed the world how good she is. It’s an incredible journey; it’s something that we should all learn about.”

Before the Games began this week, Zakia Khudadadi expressed her pride in representing refugees. “I am really happy and ready to represent the refugee team because I am a refugee in France,” she said. “I hope we can all get a medal to show how proud we are.”