Saudi Arabia's first female boxing champion just won an int'l competition

Dona Mohammed al-Ghamdi proudly waved the Saudi flag on Friday after winning big at the 2018 International Boxing Championship, which concluded in Jordan on Friday.

In Saudi Arabia, where women's rights are often the subject of international discussion, Al-Gamdi is an outlier. A women boxer – a fighter – refusing to fit into a cliche mould prescribed to her by society, while also challenging Western perceptions of what a Saudi woman can and cannot do.

According to Al Arabiya, not only is Al-Ghamdi the kingdom's first female champion boxer, she is also the only Saudi to ever compete at an Arab and international level. Prior to this international competition, she competed in an Arab boxing event last year, which was also held in Jordan.

Just over four years ago, Al-Ghamdi weighed in at 155 kilograms. Unhappy with being obese, she decided it was time for a major change.

“I went to a gym [in Jordan where I was studying] and signed up to learn boxing. I liked it and after nine months, the coach advised me to become a professional," the boxer told Al Arabiya in an interview last October.

Saudi coach Ahmad Foqaha offered to train her in Saudi Arabia, and Al-Ghamdi went on to lose 75 kilograms within nine months.

As for the athlete's parents, they were always there to support her on every step of her journey.

"They helped me resume my journey when they saw how passionate and successful I was in this field," Al-Ghamdi said.

The boxer also explained that competing in the sport has done more than just help her get into shape, it's given her greater confidence as well.

Although Al-Ghamdi understands that she comes from a conservative society, she believes Saudis are more open-minded than before. She also hopes her journey can inspire other women to make changes to improve their health and to follow their dreams.

"My message is that Saudi women can represent their country in all international arenas," she said.

The young boxer is already taking steps to give back to her country as well. With the help of her coach, she is establishing a boxing training center for men, women and children in Riyadh. Individuals with special needs will also receive training for free, Al-Ghamdi explained.

“All I care about is representing the kingdom," she said.

Women in Saudi Arabia are often viewed as held back by restrictive social norms and laws in the kingdom. But Saudi women have long been fighting for their rights and pushing too succeed in all fields.

When it comes to sports, things have been changing rapidly in the kingdom for women.

In November, just following Saudi Arabia's first women's basketball tournament, the kingdom announced it would host its first-ever women's football tournament as well.

"I hope such tournaments will continue and I am confident that this one will be successful, as the strongest women's basketball clubs in Jeddah will be playing," Shura Council member and founder of Jeddah's first private female basketball club Leena Al Maeena said prior to the basketball event

Saudi women also made headlines at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Four female Saudi athletes attended the international games, following in the footsteps of two bold Saudi women who participated in the London 2012 games.

If recent reforms are any sign, perhaps a female Saudi boxer will even be heading to the Olympics in the not so distant future.