• 5 months ago

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00:00The countdown to the Paris Games started long ago for these taekwondo athletes who are training
00:08in this sports complex in Tunis.
00:10One favorite is Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi, who brought home a silver medal from the 2020
00:14Tokyo Olympics.
00:18His example inspired a whole new generation, like Firas Kattoussi, the current world champion
00:22in the men's under-80 kilo class.
00:24Thanks to Khalil's win in Tokyo, people know taekwondo more, are following it more.
00:29People send us messages, encourage us.
00:31People are waiting to watch the competition.
00:35In the Dojang, the training hall, is Ikram Dahri, 27.
00:39This will be her first Olympics ever.
00:40It's a bit stressful, sure, there's stress in any competition, but the whole world will
00:46be watching this competition.
00:47It's not just any ordinary competition, so I'm trying to prepare mentally, most of all,
00:52and also physically, of course.
00:57In an adjacent room, the female and male teams for Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle
01:01wrestling practice falls and arm holds.
01:04Training side-by-side is an advantage for Siwar Boussetta, who qualified for the Olympics.
01:09Men are stronger than women.
01:11So we take that strength, and when we wrestle with women, it feels much easier.
01:18Two men and two women wrestlers will fly to Paris.
01:20They're dreaming of a podium finish, like their role model Marwa Amri.
01:24The coach of the women's team is the first Tunisian and Arab woman to have won a medal
01:27in freestyle wrestling at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
01:34Wrestling was seen badly, because people think that women who wrestle are aggressive.
01:40But really now the mentality has changed a lot.
01:43Why?
01:45Because there's a lot of women, and it's spread not just in Tunisia, it's spread to other
01:48Arab countries too.
01:51In the run-up to Paris at the beginning of July, these athletes are counting on a lot
01:57more concentration and solidarity to get them ready.

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