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00:0025-year-old Zakia Hudadadi could be the first ever Paralympic medallist from Afghanistan.
00:11Zakia was born in Herat with just one functional arm and she's fighting for a lot more than
00:16just a medal.
00:19It's very different here compared to Afghanistan. In Afghanistan I trained in a nine square
00:23metre room. It's a lot bigger here. Aside from sport, my work, I consider myself a feminist.
00:32I'm fighting for the rights of Afghan women in my country.
00:39Zakia fled the Taliban two years ago and found refuge at France's prestigious sports institute
00:43known as INSEP.
00:45When you push her, she's a machine, both physically and mentally. On top of that, she
00:52can do anything. Her technique is really impressive.
01:00As well as her training, Zakia takes four French classes per week.
01:14With French journalists, I spoke without a translator. I answered all the questions
01:30in French. But sometimes when I talk to people, it can be a bit of an issue.
01:42The first time she came into this room, we spoke a bit of English, but she was very shy.
01:48We took it from there. It's been a spectacular improvement.
01:54Zakia was initially unable to flee Afghanistan and had to train in hiding. But after a video
01:58she released went viral, she was exfiltrated from the country just in time for the Tokyo
02:02Games.
02:0342 hours after the publication of this video, she was airlifted to safety by the Australian
02:26Air Force.
02:28It was a difficult day for me, for my heart. I won't forget it.
02:34Zakia would have liked to represent her new home, France, for these Paralympic Games,
02:38but was unable to obtain citizenship in time. Instead, she'll be competing with the IOC's
02:43refugee team, a chance for her, she says, to advocate for women from around the world.