Zakia Khudadadi secured the women’s under-47-kilogram title with a dramatic triumph against Turkey’s Nurcihan Ekinci at the European Para Championships here.

It was a poignant victory for Khudadadi as she said it came two years to the day when the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan.

The 24-year-old, who was competing as a refugee athlete with French coaches in her corner, struggled to hold back the tears when she defeated Ekinci in golden score.

"I really wanted to scream and tell the whole world that I achieved this, but I cried it out," Khudadadi told insidethegames.

"The feelings inside me made my very emotional because I didn’t have my own flag and I thought of my background in Afghanistan, my country.

"I didn’t have the opportunity there and for the other women in Afghanistan with the situation at the moment they cannot participate in sport.

"That made me very emotional and that made my cry out load.

"Also achieving my medal coincides with the takeover of the Taliban.

"It was the same day that they came and took over my country [in 2021] and the chaos happened.

"That was really emotional for me and the pictures came to my head."

The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of American troops, leading to hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens attempting to flee the country.

Fearing that the situation would deny her the opportunity to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Khudadadi said she posted a video calling for support which triggered a response from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the National Paralympic Committees (NPC) of France and Japan.

"I risked my life and you can see the video that I put out, I was crying and I was screaming that I wanted to get out and get to Tokyo," said Khudadadi.

"I don’t want to think back on that moment because I will cry again but at that moment I risked my life to get out of there to Tokyo."

With support from the French NPC, Khudadadi managed to get to France with fellow Afghan athlete Hossain Rasouli before taking a flight to the Japanese capital.

Khudadadi became Afghanistan's first female athlete to participate at the Paralympics since Athens 2004 when she took part in the women’s K44 under-49 kilograms taekwondo competition, while Rasouli featured in the men’s T47 long jump event.

They also carried the Afghanistan flag during the Closing Ceremony of Tokyo 2020.

Khudadadi now resides in France with her family but does not stop thinking about the harsh restrictions facing women in her country under Taliban rule.

The hardline Islamist group severely restricts the rights of women and girls under its interpretation of Sharia law, forcing them to cover their faces in public, travel with men and be excluded from secondary education and sporting activities.

"It’s very disappointing that the whole world is neglecting Afghanistan women’s existence," said Khudadadi.

"They don’t have education rights now let alone participation in sports.

"Afghanistan has gone back one century and now they don’t have the right be educated, the right to travel or participate so this is something that the whole world is neglecting.

"What can I say?

"It’s very disappointing at the moment that nobody cares about the women in Afghanistan.

"They have the right to be educated, it’s as simple as that."

When asked whether the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IPC needed to do more, Khudadadi said: "If they were to talk to the [National] Olympic Committee [and tell them] that if you are not allowing females to participate they should take the rights of the participation of males as well.

"Then they will have no choice but to allow males and females to participate in sport so we do expect that from the IOC and IPC to support the women in Afghanistan."

Afghanistan’s place at next year’s Olympics in Paris has yet to be decided with the IOC Executive Board urging the Afghanistan Government to make "significant progress" on ensuring access for women and young girls in sport.

The IOC said efforts in Afghanistan to improve accessibility and inclusivity "remained insufficient" and stressed it was "extremely concerned" by the country’s restrictions in sport.

Khudadadi is continuing to train with the French Para taekwondo team as she aims to win a medal at Paris 2024.

"It’s everybody’s ambition to get first place and to get a medal," added Khudadadi.

"For me, deep down in my heart, I want to compete there and get a medal for the women of Afghanistan."