Wonder Woman of the Week: Ines Boubakri

This week's Wonder Woman is one of the most important athletes in the entire continent of Africa. Ines Boubakri famously brought home Tunisia's first Olympic fencing medal and perfectly encapsulates the Olympic spirit through her dedication to the sport of fencing and in her dedication for inspiring new generations of women in sports in her country and abroad. Boubakri has competed in three Olympic games as a foil fencer- 2008, 2012, and 2016- and won the bronze medal in the Rio Olympics in a tournament in which she entered as an injured athlete.

Beyond Tunisia, Ines Boubakri was also the first woman from any country in Africa to earn an Olympic medal in fencing, and her successful career has made her a household name both in the sport of fencing and in women's sports in her home continent. Among Arab nations (North Africa and the Middle East), Boubakri inspires women in traditionally conservative cultures to challenge gender norms and attempt careers in sport. Within her sport, Boubakri is also known as one of the few athletes who proved herself capable of challenging the greatest athlete in fencing's history- Valentina Vezzali (another WWoW). In 2012, Boubakri lost in by one point in overtime against Vezzali who holds the greatest medal count in the sport.