Zakia Khudadadi Wins Bronze at Rio Open G2 in Brazil

Zakia Khudadadi, an Afghan para-taekwondo athlete, won a bronze medal at the international “Rio Open G2” tournament in Brazil.

She dedicated her victory to all the women of Afghanistan and wrote on her Instagram page:

"This medal is not just for me; it is for all the women of Afghanistan who continue to stand tall despite all the hardships."

Previously, she had been awarded the "Emerging Leadership" prize by the International Paralympic Committee on the occasion of International Women’s Day in 2025.

Zakia Khudadadi, the first medalist in the history of the Refugee Team at the Paralympics, represented Afghanistan in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, she migrated to France and joined the French Refugee Team.

She participated in the 2024 Paris Paralympics as part of the Refugee Team and won the bronze medal after defeating her Cuban opponent.