Sara Khoshjamal is what you call a real fighter. In 2008, this 21-year-old Iranian women’s tae kwon do champion took her fight from the outskirts of Tehran to the Beijing Olympics.
She was the first Iranian woman ever to earn a spot at the Olympics, just losing out in the quarterfinals but winning the respect of women around the globe for her extraordinary journey and determination.
Sara featured as number 22 in Time Magazine’s Top 100 Olympic Athletes to Watch. Making the Olympic qualifiers in Vietnam and beating the world’s top-ranking woman in her weight class in 2008 transformed her into a national icon. In a country with limited options for competitive female athletes, she personifies the potent combination of talent and ambition.
Tae Kwon-Do Iran-Style: The Rules and Regs
Tae kwon do has caused a buzz among women in Iran in recent years, and in 2008, around 120,000 Iranian women practised the sport. This particular martial art form is one of few sports in which Iranian women are allowed to compete on an international level.
They are banned from taking part in most Olympic sports, but allowed to internationally in rowing, riflery and chess. Oddly enough, however, the Iranian authorities view tae kwon do as being compatible with Islam.
In keeping with Iran’s religious rules, Khoshjamal trains and competes wearing a hijab and a protective helmet. She is prohibited from training with men, so she practices in her living room with her older brothers.
“I worked very hard, I practiced very hard and my coach is very great. Now I go for the Olympic games. & I’m very happy,” she told ABC News in 2008.
A Fighting, Kicking Female Role Model
“Sara is becoming a role model for young girls in Iran,” Kiarash Bahri of Iran’s Tae Kwon do Federation told ABC News, standing near a larger-than-life poster of the fighter.
Sara has trained since the age of 8, and temporarily put university studies on hold to prepare for the Olympics. She promised her parents she would resume her education later on.
Her practice schedule takes six hours a day and includes studying videos of her past matches. She has travelled from Australia to Beirut for competitions, and dreams of visiting the United States.
Khoshjamal’s parents joined millions of admiring women and men across Iran, the Middle East and the world watching her sweat it out in Beijing. They are extremely proud and supportive of their daughter.
“I was worried about her safety when she first started tae kwon do,” said Sara’s father in an Iran Focus article. “But my sons did tae kwon do, then my daughters did tae kwon do and in the end there’s no difference.”