Doha-king Mohammed VI sent a congratulations message to the Moroccan boxer Widad Bertal after winning the world championship title at the Women’s Box Championships 2025 in NIS, Serbia, in the 2025 category.
The king expressed His warmest congratulations to the world champion and found that her performance is based on her endurance and ambition to increase the flag of Morocco on international podium days.
He shared the feelings of joy and pride after her deserved victory and wished her continued success in future competitions.
Bertal, 25, defeated Turkey’s Hatice Akbas, the 2022 World Champion and 2024 Olympic champion, in the final with a score of 5: 2.
“This gold medal is for the first athlete, his majesty king Mohammed VI, the Moroccan people and everyone who supported me,” Bertal told Snrtnews after their victory. The champion, born on August 31, 1999, added: “This is just the beginning of my career and I will realize more dreams.”
When she arrived in Casablanca today when she arrived at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, she explained that her victory of the World Cup at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 would serve as a motivation.
Bertal’s journey to the world title contains an impressive series of successes. She won three consecutive African championships from 2022 to 2024 and received a bronze medal at the African amateur boxing championships 2022 in Maputo.
She becomes the second Moroccan woman who wins gold at the World Boxing Championships after Khadija El Mardi’s victory In Neu -Delhi in 2023.
The success of the tournament extended beyond Bertal’s gold medal. Her team-mate Hasna Larti secured a bronze medal in the 75-81 kg category after defeating Bulgariens Victoriya Kebikava by RSC before fell on Russia’s Saltanate Mentova in the semi-finals.
Nabil Hilmi, Vice President of the Royal Maroccan Boxing Federation, praised the success of both boxers and recognized the challenges that had confronted themselves during the competition.
“Winning these medals was not easy, although our goal was to achieve more,” said Hilmi, expressing hope of further success both when boxing men and women.
The triumph at the championships did not stop with sporting performances. On Monday Oumaima Smlali was named Best referee and judge of the tournament.
The championships held from March 8th to 16th represent another milestone for boxing for Moroccan women, build on the latest international successes and promised a brilliant future for sport in the country.
