2024-08-04 20:58:03
The first African to win the World Boxing Championship, Moroccan Khadija Mardi failed to qualify for the finals in the under 75 kg category in Paris. The boxer expressed his great disappointment that he missed this last step which could give Morocco the first medal in these Paris Games.
Published on: 08/04/2024 – 1:46.
2 minutes
From our special correspondent at Arena Nord,
She is a mother on a mission who has promised her three children ” Ilham, Sultana and Fatima Zahra “to bring them back” gold medal “. But this Sunday, August 4, Khadija Mardi was stopped in her quest by a tough Australian, Caitlin Parker, who beat her by a split decision from the judges.
The defeat which destroyed the Moroccan, who was not relieved after his fight. “I am sorry for the people of Morocco and for the King who cannot bring this medal back. I ask for forgiveness from my husband, my father, my mother, my family”he burst out, crying.
More than 20 kg lost…
This medal is the highest demand for the kid from Casablanca, the world middleweight champion in 2023 in New Delhi. For this Olympic medal, Khadija Mardi, a quarter-finalist at the Rio Olympics, sacrificed herself and lost more than 20 kg to drop down to the category of less than 75 kg. This weight loss would have played a big role in his defeat, he was sure. ” This made me sick, I tried really hard to get down to 75 kg, and I was really tired.. But this is not an excuse, I am not up to the task for the Moroccan people and the Arab people ».
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Encouraged by hundreds of Moroccan supporters in the Arena Nord in Villepinte, Khadija Mardi also had the honor of counting among her supporters two Olympic champions from the Cherifian kingdom: Hicham El Guerroudj, 1,500 m and 5,000 meters in Athens (2004 ) and Nawal El Moutawakil, 400m hurdles in Los Angeles (1984).
Khadija Mardi, she is an exceptional woman. It’s a fighter, a tornadowitness the first Moroccan gold in the Olympics. She is a mother, she is a wife, but she is also a unique champion. It stands for Moroccan woman, Arab woman, African woman, Muslim woman. »
From now on, the 33-year-old boxer, who buried his dreams of an Olympic medal, will concentrate on the next world championships in Astana, Kazakhstan at the end of the year. This will be an opportunity to win a new world crown and to significantly turn the page of the unfortunate Paris.
Read againSpecial coverage on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: find all our articles, reports, podcasts and videos
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