Belgian taekwondo player Sarah Shaari made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after winning the bronze medal in the women’s taekwondo competition in the 67 kg weight category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Friday, becoming the first veiled Muslim girl in European history to win an Olympic medal.
Shaari won her bronze medal after defeating Uzbekistani Ozoda Soberghonova 2-1.
- Who is Sarah Shaari?
Sarah Shaari was born on May 2, 2005 in Belgium to a Moroccan father and a Belgian mother. She began her journey with Taekwondo at the age of five, and quickly developed a deep passion that drove her to continue practicing this sport.
Sarah combines athletic excellence with academic success, as she studies medicine and is keen to balance her studies with her athletic training. Regarding how she manages her time, she says: She trains in the evening after her school day ends, and makes a great effort to organize her time efficiently.
At the age of 19, Sarah Shaari made history in Taekwondo by winning the bronze medal in the -67kg category at the Paris Olympic Games. With the Belgian flag on her shoulders and tears of joy in her eyes, Shaari was overwhelmed with joy, describing the achievement as “huge.”
Sarah believes that this medal is the result of hard work and determination, stressing that “this medal means more to me than any world title, because the Olympic Games are held only once every four years, and qualifying for them in itself is a huge challenge. It is the pinnacle of ambition for any athlete.”
As the current European champion in her category and the 2022 world champion, as well as having won the 2023 European Games in the -62kg category, Chaari has given Belgium its first Olympic medal in taekwondo. With big ambitions, Chaari hopes to participate in the next Olympics and win more medals. “We will get back to work to achieve this,” she told teambelgium, expressing her readiness to take on new challenges.