Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Kunduz, Afghanistan | July 4, 2001
Occupation | Judoka |
Sport | |
Sport | Judo |
Weight class | –81 kg |
Team | Refugee Olympic Team (2024) |
Achievements and titles | |
Olympic Games | R32 (2024) |
World Champ. | R64 (2023) |
European Champ. | R32 (2023, 2023) |
Profile at external databases | |
IJF | 75114 |
JudoInside.com | 161804 |
Updated on July 30, 2024 |
Arab Sibghatullah (born July 4, 2001) is an Afghan judoka who competed with the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Arab Sibghatullah was born in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on July 4, 2001. Encouraged by his brother, he started practicing judo at the age of eight in Kunduz, joining their national youth team at the age of nineteen. [1] [2]
In 2021, Sibghatullah was forced to flee the Taliban in Afghanistan. He travelled 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) mainly by foot through thirteen countries including Iran, Turkey, Greece, Bosnia, and Slovenia. [3] He finally arrived in Germany in November 2022, where he was given aslyum. [4] [5] [6]
Upon arriving in Germany, Sibghatullah was placed in a refugee center in Kamen, where he learned of a judo club with a coach who could speak Persian. [3]
Sibghatullah practices judo with the 1. Judo-Club in Mönchengladbach and at a training camp in Cologne. [5] He placed seventh in the Madrid European Open on June 10, 2023. [7]
On May 2, 2024, Sibghatullah was announced as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team for its participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics, [8] particularly in the Men's 81 kg event. [9] On July 30, he was eliminated in the round of 32 in a match against Matthias Casse, which he lost with a score of 11–1. [10]
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