"All I think about is Paris"- Saudi Arabia’s female Taekwondo player Donia Abu Talib obsessed with her dream of winning gold at Paris Olympics 2024
Saudi Arabia’s taekwondo player Donia Abu Talib caught everyone’s eye after securing qualification for the Paris Olympics 2024 in March. The 27-year-old female athlete from Saudi put in an inspiring performance at the Asian qualifiers to earn her ticket to Paris.
Saudi Arabia doesn't boast a rich history of producing renowned female athletes. The higher authorities were never too appreciative of encouraging women's sport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) threatened the nation of getting barred from the event, which forced them to send two women athletes to the 2012 Olympics.
Donia’s journey wasn’t an easy one. At the age of 13, she was banned from the boy’s club after competing for five years.
However, she overcame every obstacle that came her way and bagged qualification for the Paris Games. Donia Abu Talib expressed her feelings on winning the Paris quota.
“I’m obsessed with my dream,” she was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
“I mean, I fall asleep, I wake up all I think about is Paris. I feel like a global competitor since I qualified for Paris. It’s not an easy place to be in. So yes, I’m a tough opponent," she added.
“Dad sparked my love for Taekwondo” - Donia Abu Talib
Donia Abu Talib’s father introduced Dania to the sport of Taekwondo. Despite knowing that it wasn’t a popular sport at that time in the country, her father pushed her to learn the sport and excel.
Donia expressed love towards her father for always supporting her in her journey and never letting her quit.
“Dad sparked my love for taekwondo,” she recalled. “I was eight-years-old at the time.
“Taekwondo was not yet popular. May God bless his soul, it was as if he sensed that women would make their mark in Saudi Arabia. He always supported me and whenever I wanted to quit, he would say, ‘no, don’t stop.'”
The Saudi Arabia’s Taekwondo player has firmly set her sights on winning gold at the Paris Olympics and making her country proud.
“God willing, I will win the gold,” she added. “My mom told me ‘if you don’t win, I’ll give you a smack.'”