Taekwondo-Abutaleb falls short of medal but breaks new ground for Saudi women

PARIS : Saudi Arabia's taekwondo athlete Dunya Abutaleb failed to win a medal at the Paris Games on Wednesday but broke new ground for women in her country as she just missed out on bronze.

The 27-year-old, who came third at the 2022 World Championships in the flyweight (-49 kg) category, is the first Saudi woman to earn direct qualification to the Olympics.

Her victory in the Round of 16 against Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Abishag Semberg of Israel galvanised Abutaleb's fans on social media, while in the stands fans chanted her name as she lost to eventual gold medallist Panipak Wongpattanakit.

Wongpattanakit, who became Thailand's first-ever Olympic gold medallist in Tokyo and made more history in Paris with another title, crushed Abutaleb 4-1 13-3 in the quarter-finals.

Abutaleb beat Morocco's Oumaima El Bouchti in a repechage to earn the right to fight for bronze, but lost 3-0 4-2 to Iran's Mobina Nematzadeh in the medal match.

"I was hoping to achieve a medal for my country... but I was not lucky," a tearful Abutaleb told Reuters.

"I thank everyone who supported Dunya, and all the Saudis who stood by me. I hope to achieve success in the near future to fulfill my aspirations."

The head of the Saudi Taekwondo federation praised Abutaleb and said her performances could inspire more Saudi female athletes.

"We are proud to have the first Saudi woman to qualify directly for the Olympic Games," Shaddad Alamri said.

"We are happy with the great effort she exerted to be fifth in her first Olympic appearance, and we hope that her participation will inspire more Saudi female athletes in the future."

Abutaleb, who wore a hijab during competition on Wednesday, was trying to win a medal in honour of her father, who died in 2018.