Taliban escapee with 1 arm wins taekwondo medal at Paralympics for refugee team

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Zakia Khudadadi became the first-ever Refugee Paralympic Team medalist on Thursday when she won bronze in women's taekwondo.

The medal marks a major milestone in the long and winding story of Khudadadi – a story that began when she was born without a forearm and included an escape from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan years ago. 

Shortly after defeating Turkey’s Ekinci Nurcihan in the women's -47 category bronze medal match, Khudadadi threw her helmet and mouthpiece into the air. 

"It was a surreal moment, my heart started racing when I realized I had won the bronze," she said after the match. 

"I went through so much to get here," the 25-year-old added. "This medal is for all the women of Afghanistan and all the refugees of the world. I hope that one day there will be peace in my country."

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Zakia Khudadadi of Refugee Paralympic Team, left, competes against Ziyodakhon Isakova of Team Uzbekistan during the Women's 47kg quarterfinals contest of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Grand Palais on Aug. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Khudadadi last competed at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 for her home country of Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan did not send any female athletes to the Paralympics this year. The United Nations reported this year that the Taliban are now restricting access to work, travel and healthcare for much of the country's female population. Most female athletes in the country must practice in secret, if they can practice at all, according to multiple reports. 

During the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan in summer 2021, the Taliban