Afghan athlete makes history at Paralympics as triathlon postponed

Afghan para-athlete Zakia Khudadadi made history Thursday as the first medal winner for the Refugee Team at the Paralympics in Paris, taking bronze in the women’s taekwondo 47 kg weight category.

Khudadadi had trained in secret as a child in a hidden gym. She first competed at the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021 after she was evacuated from Afghanistan after it came back under Taliban rule that year.

Meanwhile, in an echo of last month’s Olympics, Paralympics organizers announced Sunday they had postponed the Paralympic triathlon for 24 hours due to concerns over water quality and high E. coli levels in the Seine river, where the swimming leg of the race is supposed to take place.