At 23 years old, Zakia Khudadadi has already caught the attention of crowds when she participated in a Para-Taekwondo Championship that was held in Egypt.
Zakia Khudadadi was all set to create history again by becoming the first female Paralympic Afghan athlete, however, her dreams were shattered when it was officially confirmed that Afghanistan will not be participating in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics due to the Taliban takeover.
After many twists and turns the Afghan athlete Zakia Khudadadi got her chance to compete in the Tokyo Paralympics on Thursday.
The country of Afghan is sending one to two athletes, one of them being Khudadadi. Her opponent is Ziyodakhon Isakova of Uzbekistan and she lost her first-round match to her 17-12.
The Paralympics are an international sporting event for athletes with disabilities. Athletes who participate in the Paralympics use a variety of sports equipment, such as prostheses, to compete against others. Although they are disabled, they still have an opportunity to make a difference in their communities and world through sports.
Hasan Rasouli has been competing in the long jump on a daily basis and he is just one day away from running. In Tuesday’s match, Zakia Khudadadi lost against Viktoriia Marchuk with a score of 48-34. The Afghan athletes arrived in Tokyo just a few days after the Paralympics opened. The athletes traveled from Afghanistan to France and lastly on to Japan. Both Khudadadi or Rasouli did not speak in public since arriving due to privacy. The officials have allowed it.
