Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is set to become the first American woman to compete in an Olympic games wearing a hijab. The 30-year-old New Jersey native has made the American fencing team that will travel to Rio next summer.
“I want to compete in the Olympics for the United States to prove that nothing should hinder anyone from reaching their goals — not race, religion or gender,” Muhammad says in her USA Fencing bio.
“I want to set an example that anything is possible with perseverance.”
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Muhammad qualified for her spot on Saturday after winning bronze at the Fencing World Cup, which was held in Athens.
The achievement locked her into the second spot in the American rankings behind two-time Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis.
Muhammad attempted to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, but that dream was crushed when she tore a ligament in her hand months before the Games.
She began fencing when she was 13 and has always worn her hijab while competing, in accordance with her faith.
She is also the founder of a women’s clothing line called Louella, a company dedicated to creating “affordable, modest, fashion forward clothing.”