Zakia Khudadadi

Started: She took up the sport at age nine in 2008. (paralympic.org, 22 Jul 2024; gqmiddleeast.com, 09 Mar 2024) Reason: She was inspired by Afghan taekwondo athlete Rohullah Nikpai, an Olympic bronze medallist in 2008 and 2012, and by a coach who had an impairment. "I was introduced to sport by a person who had a disability, who saw a strength in me, and encouraged me to do taekwondo, where he thought I had a bright future. He was my coach for 10 years. Since he himself could not achieve the dreams he had in his youth because of his disability, he wanted to make a champion out of me. Taekwondo happened to be one of the only sports that I could practise as it required little equipment and focused mostly on inner strength." (paralympic.org, 22 Jul 2024, 10 Aug 2021; gqmiddleeast.com, 09 Mar 2024) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 22 Jul 2024) Milestones: She became the second female athlete to represent Afghanistan in any sport at the Paralympic Games when she competed at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. Athletics competitor Mareena Karim had previously taken part in the T46 100m at the 2004 Games in Athens. Khudadadi's participation in Tokyo also made her the first athlete of either gender to represent Afghanistan in taekwondo at the Paralympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 Apr 2024; paralympic.org, 10 Aug 2021) Awards: She was flag bearer for Afghanistan at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (gqmiddleeast.com, 09 Mar 2024) Additional Info: REFUGEE PARALYMPIC TEAM She represented Afghanistan at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo but is competing as part of the Refugee Paralympic Team at the 2024 Games in Paris. "My life has been a journey filled with ups and downs. I faced death threats and even contemplated suicide. What set me apart was my disability. When I looked in the mirror, I knew I was missing a hand. But I pictured in my head having an iron hand instead that made me impossible to stop. In that way, my disability has given me extra strength. It is a great honour because I am representing millions of refugees who have disabilities in these Games, and I will participate with immense pride. I want to send them a message and show them we are examples of peace, acceptance, courage, friendship and equality. Hopefully we can inspire them and encourage them to follow their dreams." (paralympic.org, 22 Jul 2024) LIVING IN PARIS She began to reside in Paris, France, after leaving Afghanistan in 2021. She trains alongside French athletes and French coach Haby Niare. "When I fled to France, I had to start from scratch. It was incredibly difficult - I didn't know the language and I was separated from my family, who were back in Afghanistan. Now I've really progressed in the French language and I'm in contact with more people. The French team is a good team and I'm happy. I'm ready, I'm ready for my competitions." (paralympic.org, 17 Aug 2023) HISTORIC PARTICIPATION IN TOKYO At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo she became the second female athlete to represent Afghanistan in any sport at the Paralympic Games. "I was thrilled after I received the news that I have got a wild card to compete at the [2020] Games. I was surprised but worried as well as I had just two months to prepare for the Games with almost no facilities." (SportsDeskOnline, 09 Apr 2024; paralympic.org, 10 Aug 2021)