History beckons for Saudi taekwondo star heading to Paris

ABHA, Saudi Arabia — Saudi taekwondo standout Dunya Abutaleb had an unusual introduction to the sport: for years she trained at a boys' club because there were no girls to compete with.

Now the 27-year-old has become the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Olympics and is dreaming of bringing home the Gulf kingdom's first gold medal when she competes in Paris.

Though her smiling face currently appears on posters and billboards, underscoring Saudi officials' recent push to champion women's athletics, the Jeddah native had much more humble beginnings.