Sophia Bouderbane

Bouderbane joined her neighbourhood karate club (in the village of Pignans) at the age of three, following her brother into the sport.^[3][4] At the age of nine she won her first national championship, and by the age of 14 she was training with the French national karate team.^[4][5] At club level, Bouderbane has represented Karaté Club Cabassois and Amicale Sportive d'Evry.^[2] She currently represents Amicale Sportive d'Evry, for whom she also acts as an ambassador.^[6][7]

In 2014, at the age of 18 – and while studying at INSA Lyon – she won a bronze medal in the women's kumite 50 kg event at the 2014 European Karate Championships held in Tampere, Finland.^[3] In 2016, Bouderbane underwent major surgery on her hip to correct a birth defect, but continued to train, compete, and continue her karate career.^[3] At the 2018 European Karate Championships held in Novi Sad, Serbia, she won the bronze medal in the team kumite event.^[8]

Bouderbane improved on this performance at the 2019 European Karate Championships in Guadalajara by winning the gold medal in the women's kumite 50 kg event,^[9] overcoming Austrian karateka (and former European Champion) Bettina Plank 5-0 in the final.^[10] Later in 2019, at the 2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus, she won a bronze medal in the women's kumite 50 kg event.^[11][12] In the semi-finals she lost against Serap Özçelik of Turkey.

Bouderbane has stated that she is unable to make a living from the sport in France, in part due to the lack of exposure at the Olympic Games.^{[3][note 1]} In this context, she has spoken of the importance of individual sponsorships.^[13] Bouderbane herself has been sponsored by FDJ and Michelin over the course of her sporting career.^[3]