Saudi boxer Kalthoum Hantoul sacrifices day job for shot at Olympic boxing glory

DUBAI: Kalthoum Hantoul, although a newcomer to the boxing world, swiftly made a pivotal choice.

On entering the ring, she realized that her career as a telecommunications specialist in the private sector paled in comparison to her passion for boxing.

The 29-year-old light flyweight from Dammam recently resigned from her job to fully devote herself to boxing, with her sights set firmly on the 2028 Olympics.

A silver medal at the recent Saudi Games 2023, after a challenging final against Sara Al-Shahrani, shows Hantoul could well be on the right path.

Born into a family of 11 siblings with a deep-rooted love for football, Hantoul started kicking a ball from an early age. However, when her women’s team failed to assemble the minimum seven players, that was when she turned to boxing.

“My parents have always been fans of Al-Nassr club, but most of us kids support Al-Hilal club, so there was always internal rivalry,” she said on the dynamics of her football family.

Hantoul pursued boxing secretly while her family believed she was still training for football. It was not until she clinched gold at the World Combat Games in Riyadh in October 2023 that her family began to embrace her dedication to this new sport.

“My family didn’t see boxing as a sport for women; they viewed it as brutal and physically demanding. Initially, I trained in secret, while they believed I was practicing football. That’s how it all began,” she said.

“My first fight was at the Saudi Games 2022. Until then, my family had refused my participation. But I kept going, and at the World Combat Games in Riyadh 2023, my whole family was watching. It was the real turning point for their support.”

Hantoul stumbled into the sport by chance in February 2022