Saudi taekwondo star falls short of historic Olympic medal

PARIS – Saudi Arabia’s Donia Abu Taleb narrowly missed out on creating history on Wednesday, falling just short of becoming the nation’s first female Olympic medalist. Competing in the women’s -49kg taekwondo division, Abu Taleb reached the bronze medal match but was defeated by Iran’s Mobina Nematzadeh.

The 27-year-old’s journey to the bronze medal match was impressive, marked by victories over Israel’s Abishag Semberg and Morocco’s Oumaima El Bouchti. However, she faced a formidable opponent in Nematzadeh.

Abu Taleb’s qualification for the Olympics itself was a significant milestone, as she became the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Games on her own merit. Her performance has drawn attention to Saudi Arabia’s growing participation in women’s sports.

(Source: AFP)