Moroccan World Champion Boxer Khadija El Mardi Sets Sights on Olympic Glory in Paris 2024

"It is certain that the focus will be on me and that I will be put under pressure when I go to Paris as world champion," said Khadija El Mardi (75 kg) to Olympics.com in Dakar in September. She had just validated her ticket for the next Olympic Games to be held in 2024 in Paris after beating Kenyan Andiego Elizabeth Adhiambo 5-0 in the final of the African Boxing Qualification Tournament held at the Dakar Arena Sports Complex in Diamniadio. After this crowning, her dream is to win a medal at the 2024 Olympics. "The world title is now a motivation to win a medal at the Olympic Games. I really hope to win a medal at the Olympic Games, it would be a dream come true," she said. An Olympic dream for her family and for Morocco: "If I win a medal, it won’t just be for me and my family, but for all of Africa."

Mardi had missed her participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021 to give birth to her third child. "It’s not easy to manage my life as a woman and as an athlete. [...] But my daughters are my greatest source of inspiration and every time I fight, it’s for them. I know I inspire them to pursue their goals, just as my mother helped me realize my boxing dreams," she confided.