Morocco's El-Mardi becomes first African to win Women's World Boxing Championship

Moroccan boxer Khadija El-Mardi on Sunday became the first Moroccan, African, and Arab woman to win an international gold medal in boxing after snatching the heavyweight gold medal at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championship for this year.

The win was unanimous, with all five judges voting for El-Mardi over her opponent Lazzat Kungeibayeva from Kazakhstan.

"Thank you for your wishes that helped me. (...) I am your Moroccan champion who started from scratch but refused to surrender despite all the struggles," El-Mardi said in a video sent to the state television, 2M.

Before this year's tournament, El-Mardi won the silver medal in the heavyweight category at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul and a bronze medal in the 2019 championship in Ulan-Ude, Russia.

She also won the gold medal at the 2022 African Championships in Maputo, Mozambique, and the 2019 African Games in Rabat.

🎙 خاص بالقناة الثانية... أول تصريح للبطلة العالمية في رياضة الملاكمة خديجة المرضي، بعد فوزها التاريخي بذهبية بطولة العالم الهند 2023 🇲🇦🥊 pic.twitter.com/y662uIbpqQ

— 2M.ma (@2MInteractive) March 26, 2023

The Moroccan champion also emotionally thanked her family and her three children for understanding her absence for over a month in the competition in New Delhi, India.

Several Moroccan social media users hailed El-Mardi's address as wholesome, wishing her more success and achievements in the future.

Others considered El-Mardi's win as further proof of Moroccan athletes' discipline and hard work as they recently have become a brand synonymous with championships in the region.

In Qatar World Cup, Morocco became the first African and Arab team to reach the semifinals in the history of the international tournament.

Last week, the Atlas Lions stunned the Brazilian team in a friendly match to become the first Arab team to record their first-ever win over the five-time world champions.