She said that she gained valuable experience competing in Tokyo, and although she suffered a quick defeat against her first opponent, from Slovenia, when she faced her next rival, from Israel, she performed better and held out for longer before losing. As a result, she said, she was satisfied with her performance and believes the experience was a step forward in her judo career.

Al-Qahtani had planned to compete in the Grand Slam Paris and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam events in October and November this year, but said a hand injury prevented this and her recovery will take another four months.

She revealed that she was inspired to take up judo when, while playing basketball with a team at King Saud University in Riyadh, “I saw a coach wearing a judo suit and she caught my attention. So, I followed her and talked to her about the sport and finally decided to take up judo. Consequently, I became one of the first Saudi competitors in this fun sport, with my teammates Raneem Harish and Hessa Al-Maliki.