Morocco Secures 3 Taekwondo Spots at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Rabat – Moroccan Taekwondo fighters Oumaima El Bouchti, Nada Laaraj, and Achraf Mahboubi qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The Moroccan athletes guaranteed their spots in Tokyo after winning in the semi-finals of the African Taekwondo Olympics Qualifiers, at the Moulay Abdellah Complex in Rabat, between February 22-24.

El Bouchti, competing in the -49 kilograms category, qualified for the international event after beating Fall Ngone from Senegal 29-9.

“I cannot describe my feelings, as this achievement is one of my dreams,” she said after her win.

Meanwhile, Mahboubi qualified for the -80 kilograms competition after beating Faysal Sawadogo from Burkina Faso with a 14-9 score.

“Four years ago, I remember watching the Olympics on television as a kid. Today I achieved the dream of athletes from all over the world,” he said in an emotional speech.

Finally, Laaraj beat Eunice De Adedapo from Ghana with a large score of 30-1 in the -57 kilograms category.

The African Taekwondo Olympics Qualifiers brought together 150 Taekwondo fighters from 33 African countries.

The competition offers two spots in the 2020 Olympics in each weight class.

In addition to the three Moroccan fighters who qualified, Omar Lakhal represented the kingdom in the -58kg category. However, his performance was not enough for him to qualify for the world’s most prestigious sporting event.

Competition was fierce between all the athletes, with several fighters preparing outside of Africa, notably in the United States, Germany, and France, revealed Hassan Ismaili, a member of the organizing committee.