She was supposed to be Afghanistan's first female Paralympian. Now, the Taliban has turned her dream into a "nightmare."
CBSN
Afghan taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi was supposed to be on her way to the Tokyo Paralympics and become her country's first ever female participant in the Games. Instead, as the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan, the 23-year-old tells CBS News she and her family are living a "nightmare."
Khudadadi, who was born with a disability, overcame odds and broke conservative stereotypes as a female athlete in Afghanistan. She now feels four years of training will be for nothing, and is concerned for her safety. "Despite being a disabled girl, I reached myself to Kabul with great difficulty to go to the competition. But now I do not even have safety of life, let alone participating in the competition," she told CBS News.More Related News
For the first half-dozen years of her pro career, Daria Kasatkina was known as an ascending player, whose tennis was predicated on brains, not brawn, using her racket less as a high-powered weapon than a scalpel. She was known throughout tennis by her nickname, Dasha. She was not known for being political, or particularly outspoken.