Zakia Khudadadi made history on Thursday by becoming the first athlete to win a medal for the Paralympics Refugee Team.
Afghan Khudadadi, 25, won a bronze medal in the women's K44-47kg taekwondo division, beating Turkey's Ekinci Nurchihan to complete a remarkable journey for the martial artist.
Khudadadi, who made her Paralympics debut in Tokyo days after being exfiltrated from Taliban-controlled Kabul, was granted asylum by France and was cheered on like a local throughout the day by the Grand Palais crowd.
After her match, Khudadadi celebrated wildly with her coach, Haby Niare, who took a taekwondo silver medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
“It was a surreal moment, my heart started racing when I realized I had won the bronze,” Khudadadi said, her voice shaking with emotion.
“I went through so much to get here. 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.”
Khudadadi, who was born without one forearm, began practicing taekwondo in secret at age 11 in a hidden gym in her hometown of Herat, in western Afghanistan.
Originally blocked from competing following the rise of the Taliban in 2021, she was later evacuated from Afghanistan and was allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics for her country following a plea from the international community.
After the competition, she settled in Paris and was later offered the opportunity to compete with the refugee team at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
“This medal means everything to me, I will never forget that day,” Khudadadi said. “I won because of the great support I got from the crowd.”
Khudadadi, who was already looking ahead to the next Games in Los Angeles where she said she intended to win gold, delivered a message of freedom.
"I want to give this medal to the whole world. I hope that one day there will be freedom in my country, for all the world, for all the girls, for all the women, for all the refugees in the world," Khudadadi said.
"And that all of us work towards that, for liberty and equality."
Khudadadi received her medal from UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, 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 to the world how good she is. It's an incredible journey, it's something that we should all learn about.”
The Taliban's restrictions on women and freedom of expression have drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and many foreign governments since the former insurgents resumed control of Afghanistan in 2021.
Western capitals, led by Washington, have said the path to formal recognition of the Taliban is largely stalled until they reverse course on women's rights and open high schools to girls.
The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs and that they are internal matters that should be addressed locally.
