Saudi taekwondo athlete Rahaf Alshammari targets international stage

ALKHOBAR: For Rahaf Alshammari, taekwondo began long before she entered a club or competed for a medal.

Growing up, the Saudi Arabia athlete and her sisters were introduced to the sport by their father, a black belt who turned taekwondo techniques into a childhood game they called wrestling.

Years later, an Instagram post would bring the sisters back to the sport.

“My sisters and I saw an advertisement on Instagram in 2020, but our love for the sport started when we were children because of my father,” Alshammari, 25, told Arab News.

After the COVID-19 lockdown, they began training under coach Abrar Bukhari, who quickly recognized their potential and encouraged them to compete. Alshammari went on to take part in the first Saudi women’s taekwondo championship at national level.

Six years later, she holds a second-degree black belt and competes for AlUla, while studying for a master’s degree in criminal law at Naif Arab University.

Her results span taekwondo competitions inside and outside the Kingdom.

She took bronze at the Oman Open in 2024, before a run of domestic podium finishes in 2026: gold at the Taekwondo Super Cup in Jeddah, silver in the team championship in Makkah and another silver in the Olympic weight championship in Makkah.

She also won gold at the Saudi Universities Sports Federation karate championship in Riyadh in 2023.

Of those results, her 2026 Super Cup title stands apart.

Alshammari said an issue during her opening match initially threatened to prevent her from progressing in the competition. Her team filed a protest, allowing her to continue. She went on to win the match and every bout that followed to take gold.

“The gold medal at the 2026 Taekwondo Super Cup was one of my most