Saudi Arabian athlete Donia Abu Taleb advanced to the Women’s 49kg quarterfinals at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Wednesday after defeating her Israeli opponent Abishag Serberg 2-1.
Shaky Start
The 27-year-old Jeddah native overcame a shaky start to secure the thrilling victory.
Abu Taleb lost the first round 2-6 to Abishag, due to two consecutive head kicks.
However, the Jeddah-raised athlete overcame a disappointing start in the second round, initially losing 2-4, but managed to come back with a head kick, earning three points and ending the round with a narrow 5-4 victory
Donia’s Dominion
Abu Taleb dominated the third round, securing a decisive 10-0 win over her opponent, who failed to land a single kick.
She will continue her march to a podium finish when she faces Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand on Wednesday at 15:53.
Donia Abu Taleb has etched her name in Saudi sports history, becoming the first female athlete from the country to qualify for the Olympics and reach the quarterfinals.
