Khadija El Mardi. Source : MAP
The Moroccan pugilist, Khadija El Mardi (+81 kg), was crowned heavyweight world champion on Sunday evening in New Delhi. The Moroccan boxer won the gold medal at the Women’s World Boxing Championships, held in the Indian capital, after beating Kazakh Kungeibayeva Lazzat, world champion in 2016.
Khadija Mardi was ultra-offensive and managed to impose her fighting style from the start, combining direct blows and uppercuts against an opponent who found herself completely overwhelmed.
This face-to-face of heavyweights confirms the supremacy of Khadija Mardi against the boxer Kazakahe who has already beaten her in the final of the International Trophy Mohammed VI of Boxing, whose competitions took place last February in Marrakech .
In a statement to MAP, the Moroccan champion said she was “so happy to be on the top step of the podium”.
“I dedicate this victory to HM King Mohammed VI and to all the Moroccan people,” she said, stressing that this victory was made possible thanks to the constant support of the coaches, the technical management and the Royal Federation. Marocaine de Boxe (FRMB),” she said.
“My ambition now is to wear the national colors high at the next Olympic Games,” enthuses Khadija El Mardi, now the first Arab and African boxer to win a gold medal at the world boxing championships.
This victory is a source of pride in particular for Moroccan women, says Khadija.
For his part, the National Technical Director (DTN) at the FRMB, Othmane Fadli expressed his immense joy at this unprecedented feat in the history of Moroccan, Arab and African boxing.
“The impossible is not Moroccan, Moroccan youth is full of enormous potential”, he underlined, recalling that the Moroccan selection was able to win a gold and a bronze medal during these championships.
He described as “very honorable” the results obtained by Moroccan boxers during this world event, noting that the level of Moroccan boxing is getting better and better.
For his part, Moroccan coach Youssef Masrour noted that this feat is the fruit of intense preparations and training courses carried out by the national team, the last of which took place in New Delhi, shortly before the start of the world.
In addition to Khadija El Mardi, the Moroccan boxing selection participating in these Worlds also includes Yassmine Moutaqui (- 48 kg), winner of the bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals, in addition to Widad Bertal (-54 kg) and Rabab Cheddar (-50 kg) eliminated in the 2nd round and in the 1/4 finals.
Organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA), the Women’s World Boxing Championships, which took place in 12 weight categories, saw the participation of around 320 female boxers representing 70 countries including Morocco.
LNT with MAP
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