Iranian media have reported that Afghan female athletes won 15 medals, including four gold medals, at Iran’s national qualifying competition for Light Kickboxing.
According to the reports, Iran’s national Light Kickboxing qualifying competition was held on Thursday, November 5, at Shahid Rajaei Sports Complex in Tehran, with the participation of 550 male and female athletes.
The Afghan female athletes from the “Omid-e Javanan” club delivered an outstanding performance, winning a total of 15 medals, including four gold, seven silver, and four bronze medals.
The report stated that Roqia Eslami, Hadiya Jafari, Zainab Hosseini, and Nasrin Hosseini won gold medals. Zahra Jafari, Masouma Jafari, Narges Mohammadi, Narges Hosseini, Fahima Mohammadi, Sakina Jafari, and Madina Jafari won silver medals. Fatima Hosseini, Fereshteh Yousefi, Saheba Haidari, and Wanda Fazeli secured bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Madina Khalili, the coach of the female athletes, said that despite restrictions facing the club and a lack of facilities, the athletes continue to work hard and pursue their goals.
Highlighting her students’ outstanding performance, she said: “Despite the existing restrictions and challenges, they continue to train and strive with perseverance and strong determination.”
Roqia Eslami, one of the gold medal winners, said that restrictions cannot prevent Afghan girls from making progress.
Expressing her happiness over her team’s achievement, she said: “My teammates and I always strive to bring pride and honor to our country.”
This comes as women’s sports have been banned in Afghanistan for the past five years. A large number of Afghan athletes and members of the country’s national sports teams have been forced to leave Afghanistan.
