At just 20 years of age, Saudi Arabia’s Dona Mohammed Al Ghamdi has taken home the winning title at the International Boxing Championship in Jordan. AlGhamdi is the first Saudi woman to celebrate victory at the championship, beating competitors from across the globe, including Norway, Germany, Palestine, and the UAE. She is the only Saudi boxer to date to compete on an Arab and international level.
Al Ghamdi’s victory is being reported as a victory for all Saudi women, contributing to their empowerment during a landmark moment in Saudi Arabia’s history in which women’s rights isnow a priority, andtheir involvement in sports is being encouraged more than ever at every level.
According to Emirates Woman, Al Ghamdi took up boxing after graduating from school as a way to stay fit and improve her health. Four years later, she now has five medals under her belt and has become the most successful female boxer to emerge from the Kingdom.
Gulf News reports that when Al Ghamdi started out, she weighed 155 kilograms and took up boxing as a way to shed the extra weight. Initially, she faced significant difficulty in achieving the results she desired. However, things took a different turn during a visit to see her sister in Jordan. While there, she heard of a fitness trainer who could help her with her weight loss, so she signed up.
“With time, I learned a lot about fitness and the secrets of fitness boxing […] I lost many kilos thanks to the intensive training, and in the course of the training, I developed a passion for the sport. I decided to keep on practising. My trainer, following nine months of assiduous work, encouraged me to go professional.”
