Zakia Khudadadi wins first-ever medal for Refugee Paralympic Team with nod to two Olympic inspirations, Cindy Ngamba and Haby Niare
Zakia Khudadadi carries many titles that could weigh her down in everyday life: refugee, woman, person with a disability.
When asked which is the heaviest title to carry, the Afghanistan-born athlete who won the first-ever medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team on Thursday (29 August), did not hesitate with her answer: woman.
"For me, the bronze, it's like gold because I come to France. Before I am in Afghanistan and in Afghanistan it's not possible (to do) the sport," Khudadadi told Olympics.com after celebrating her medal in the Para taekwondo K44 -47kg event.
The 25-year-old athlete was evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in her home country in August 2021. At the time, Khudadadi was preparing to make her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 where she became the second female athlete to represent Afghanistan at a Paralympic Games and the first female Paralympian from the country since Athens 2004.
As a female athlete, Khudadadi had endured death threats in Afghanistan and was evacuated from Kabul after the takeover, a week before the start of Tokyo 2020, together with sprinter Hossain Rasouli. She later settled in Paris, France and entered the 2024 Paralympic Games as the only female athlete on the eight-member Refugee Paralympic Team.
Symbolically, it was a female coach, Rio 2016 silver medallist Haby Niare, who guided her to the historic podium. Niare was also the first to rush over and congratulate an emotional Khudadadi after her historic result.
"I'm so excited. I'm so happy because this is my dream," Khudadadi said. "Today I win a bronze medal and I'm the first female Paralympiac refugee (medallist) in the world and I win a bronze medal. This for me, it's a dream. And now I'm in a dream."
Zakia Khudadadi and Cindy Ngamba: Making history for refugees and women
If there was some déjà vu to Zakia Khudadadi's emotional celebrations on the mat of the Grand Palais, it was not a coincidence.
Just a few weeks ago, and five kilometres away, the same jubilant scene lit up Roland-Garros Stadium where boxer Cindy Ngamba celebrated winning the first-ever medal for the Olympic Refugee Team.
For Khudadadi, the Cameroon-born athlete who fled to Great Britain, was once arrested and taken to a detention camp, was one of the inspirations who fuelled her to victory on her own battlefield.
"I follow her," Khudadadi said. "I follow her because after the Olympics now is the Paralympics and me and she are the first medallists, in Paris. This is amazing and maybe wer're here for continue to celebrate peace, freedom, with these medals for the world."
Another major inspiration for Khudadadi was her coach – French Olympian Haby Niare, who took silver in the women’s welterweight class at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Niare switched to coaching in March 2022, taking on the Para taekwondo athlete as one of her students.
"She is an Olympic medallist and now she is my coach. She is the best coach in the world," Khudadadi said. "With her, I'm winning this medal and I'm so proud because she is like a star. She has a big heart. She's really, really helped me for this medal."
Women celebrating women: Khudadadi and Niare's jubilation on the mat
Niare was the first to celebrate with Khudadadi when her student won the bronze medal. While she offered the two-time Paralympian plenty of hugs and comforting words throughout the long competition day, Niare's energy exploded into a new dimension when the two women reached their historic milestone.
Holding no emotions back, Niare rushed to the mat and lifted Khudadadi off the ground as both shouted with joy. The women then did a victory lap together while holding a white flag with the Agitos symbol on it.
The stands were all too happy to join the celebrations. Loud cheers, previously reserved only for home athletes - or Hollywood star Jackie Chan who paid a visit to the venue earlier in the day - erupted at each of Khudadadi's four appearances on the mat in Paris, her second home city. They clapped their hands and banged their feet on the metal scaffolding to make a deafening noise as the refugee athlete waved at them with a wide smile on her face.
Down in the lower stands a group of people held up "ZAKIA" signs, each letter of her name spelled out on a different piece of paper.
Khudadadi did not disappoint. In the round of 16 she overcame Cuba’s Lilisbet Rodriguez Rivero (21-11) to get more well-deserved applause, and a hug from Niare.
While she suffered a narrow, 3-4 loss to Uzbekistan’s Ziyodakhon Isakova in the quarter-final, Khudadadi returned even more determined for the repechage against Turkiye’s Nurcihan Ekinci and took it 9-1.
As her bronze medal opponent, Morocco’s Naoual Laarif, was injured in her semi-final bout, Kudadadi claimed victory without a contest, and the stands erupted in cheers at realising the significance of the moment, not only for the athlete, but also refugees and women as a whole.
Elated, Khadadadi told Olympics.com she has even bigger ambitions for the next Paralympic Games, at LA 2028: "Maybe I continue with the French team in Los Angeles. I am sure I will be winning a gold medal in Los Angeles."
A second step forward for refugee athletes at Paris 2024 - and a promise of an even more dazzling future to come.