Para-athlete Irene Mar has made history by achieving a world ranking of seventh following her remarkable performance at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Competing in Para-taekwondo, Mar was the sole athlete from the Oceania region in the first week to nearly secure a medal.
The 19-year-old, who previously attended Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School, amazed spectators at the Grand Palais by defeating the highly-ranked Ukrainian competitor Yuliya Lypetska with a score of 25–3 in the women’s K44-57kg category.
Mar advanced to the quarter-finals but was defeated by Gamze Gurdal from Turkey. She then had the opportunity to compete for a bronze medal in the repechage but faced another loss against Kazakhstan’s Kamilya Dosmalova.
Additionally, Mar served as Team Fiji’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. She is one of only three women from Fiji to participate in the sport of taekwondo at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, joining the ranks of Venice Traill and Lolohea Naitasi, who competed in the Olympics back in July.