| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 15 July 1997 | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country |  Morocco | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para taekwondo | ||||||||||||||
| Weight class | +65 kg | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rajae Akermach (born 15 July 1997) [1] is a Moroccan para taekwondo practitioner. She won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in the women's +65 kg event. [1] [2]
In 2017, Akermach was the first African woman to top the world rankings in para taekwondo. [3]
India first participated in the 1968 Summer Paralympics. The nation has appeared in every edition of the Summer Paralympics since 1984. The Paris 2024 Games marked India's 13th appearance at the Paralympics. The country has never participated in the Winter Paralympic Games.
Paralympic powerlifting, also known as para powerlifting and para-lifting, is an adaptation of the sport of powerlifting for athletes with disabilities. The only discipline in Paralympic powerlifting is the bench press. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee and is open to anyone with a minimum level of disability who can extend their arms within 20° of full extension during a lift. Powerlifting has been competed at the Summer Paralympics since 1984.
The Asian Para Games, also known as Para Asiad, is a multi-sport event regulated by the Asian Paralympic Committee that's held every four years after every Asian Games for athletes with physical disabilities. Both events had adopted the strategy used by the Olympic and Paralympic Games of having both games in the same city. However, the exclusion of Asian Para Games from Asian Games host city contract meant that both events ran independently of each other. The Games are recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Paralympic Games.
The Asian Paralympic Committee is an organization based in United Arab Emirates. It has 45 National Paralympic Committees of the Asian continent as members. It organizes the Asian Para Games and is affiliated to the International Paralympic Committee.
Para taekwondo is an adaptation of taekwondo for disabled sportspeople. The sport's main governing body is World Taekwondo (WT). New disciplines such as kyorugi and poomsae, both martial arts forms, have been developed for para-athletes. On January 31, 2017, Para Taekwondo was confirmed as a sport for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly the same year the WT became a full member of the IPC.
Para-taekwondo debuted at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.
India competed in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021. India made its official debut at the 1968 Summer Paralympics and has appeared in every edition of the Summer Paralympics since 1984.
Mahmut Bozteke is a Turkish Para Taekwondo athlete. He is a two-time Paralympian, Paralympics and several times European champion.
Kabiraj Negi Lama is a notable figure in Nepalese Para Taekwondo. He is a successful coach who has significantly contributed to the sport in Nepal. Under his coaching, Nepal has won 11 international official medals, including 3 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze. He is a former Nepalese Taekwondo player and the coach of the Nepal National Para Taekwondo Team for both the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics and Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics. He has participated in various taekwondo competitions. He is also the grandson of former minister Tilak Bahadur Negi Lama.
Janine Watson is Australia's first taekwondo Paralympian. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's +58 kg event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. She is also an Australian wheelchair tennis champion.
Aruna Tanwar is an Indian Para Taekwondo athlete and two time Olympian from Haryana. She is currently ranked World No.4 in the W-49 kg | K43 | and World No. 30 in the W-49 kg | K44 event category of World Para Taekwondo Events. She qualified to represent India at the 2024 Summer Paralympics at Paris, her second Olympics.
Amy Truesdale is a taekwondo practitioner who won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Parfait Hakizimana is a Burundian parataekwondo practitioner who currently resides in Rwanda. He represented the Refugee Paralympic Team at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the under 61 kg category.
Lisa Kjær Gjessing is a Danish parataekwondo practitioner. Gjessing is a Paralympic gold medalist, four-time world champion and three-time European champion.
Zakia Khudadadi also spelt as Zakia Khodadadi; is a Hazara parataekwondo practitioner. She is the first Afghan female taekwondo practitioner. She rose to prominence after winning the African International Parataekwondo Championship in 2016 at the age of 18. She represented Afghanistan at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. She was initially denied the opportunity to compete at her first Paralympics due to the Taliban takeover but was later allowed by the International Paralympic Committee to compete in the event after being safely evacuated from Afghanistan. She was able to compete and became the first Afghan female Paralympic competitor to compete at the Paralympics in 17 years since Mareena Karim's participation at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. She also officially became the first Afghan female sportsperson to participate in an international sporting event after the Taliban takeover and the first-ever member of the Refugee Paralympic Team to win a medal.
Allain Keanu Ganapin is a Filipino taekwondo para-athlete.
Palesha Goverdhan is a Nepali parataekwondo practitioner. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the 58 kg category. She went on to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, becoming the first-ever Nepali athlete to win a medal at the Paralympic Games.
Morocco are competing at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France, from 28 August to 8 September.
Ulambayaryn Sürenjav is a Mongolian parataekwondo practitioner. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in the –52 kg category. She also won a bronze medal at the World Para Taekwondo Championships in 2023.
Matt Bush is a Welsh para taekwondo practitioner who competes in the F44 classification in the +80 kg category. Bush, who does not have a left hand and forearm, is a two-time champion at the World Para Taekwondo Championships.
