Irene Mar, a groundbreaking para-athlete, has achieved a remarkable feat by ranking seventh in the world after her impressive showing at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Competing in para-taekwondo, Mar was the sole representative from the Oceania region during the first week of the event, coming close to a medal.
At just 19 years old and a former student of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School, Mar captivated the audience at Grand Palais by decisively beating the highly ranked Ukrainian competitor Yuliya Lypetska with a score of 25-3 in the women’s K44-57kg category.
Although she reached the quarter-finals, Mar faced defeat against Turkey’s Gamze Gurdal. She later had the chance to fight for a bronze medal in the repechage but was ultimately bested by Kazakhstan’s Kamilya Dosmalova.
Additionally, Mar served as Team Fiji’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. She is notably the third Fijian woman to participate in taekwondo at both the Olympic and Paralympic levels, following Venice Traill and Lolohea Naitasi, who recently competed in the Olympics in July.