Taekwondo champion Kubra Dagli is soaking up all the admiration and attention for years for being the most badass taekwondo champion of the world. The Turkish athlete is not only capable of spellbinding people with her breathtaking beauty, she can knock them off their feet with her punches and kicks.
The 22-year-old taekwondo player from Istanbul is fighting societal stereotypes for years but continuing to compete in world tournaments wearing headscarf.
She won gold at the 2016 World Championships in Lima, Peru, but unfortunately it was her headscarf that got more widely discussed than her game. While few appreciated her choice of competing wearing a headgear, few called it a sign of backwardness.
The criticism bothers the athlete as she mentioned about it on social media once. “They don’t speak of my success, but of my headscarf. I don’t want this. Our success should be discussed. We made so much effort… We made our country and our team world champions. This is our joint pride.”
“One [sexist ideology] is against covering women’s heads, another against her uncovering, but they unite with the same demand: ‘Stay at home,’” she wrote.
Dagli follows a strict daily routine as she gets up at 5 every morning for practice. She practices twice a day and prepares for the upcoming tournaments.
Dagli, like any other athlete, aims to win gold at the upcoming Olympics. Looking at her dedication and hard work, it seems there is nothing that’s impossible for the world champion.
