Ibtihaj Muhammad | |
---|---|
Born | Maplewood, New Jersey, US | December 4, 1985
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) |
Sport | |
Country | United States |
Sport | Fencing |
Weapon | Sabre |
Hand | Right |
Club | Peter Westbrook Foundation |
Head coach | Ed Korfanty |
Personal coach | Akhi Spencer-El |
FIE ranking | Current ranking |
Ibtihaj Muhammad (born December 4, 1985) is an American sabre fencer, writer, entrepreneur and activist. She is best known for being the first woman to wear hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics Games, [1] as well as for winning an Olympic medal (bronze).
Ibtihaj Muhammad was born in 1985 and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, a suburb 25 miles (40 km) from Manhattan, and is of African American descent. [2] [3] Her parents were born in the United States, and converted to Islam. [4] [5] Her father, Eugene Muhammad, is a retired Newark, New Jersey police officer, and her mother, Denise, was an elementary school special education teacher. [3] [6] [7] She is the third child of five siblings. [8]
Ibtihaj attended Columbia High School, a public high school in Maplewood, graduating in 2003. [8] [9] [10] She attended Duke University and graduated in 2007 with dual bachelor's degrees in international relations and African and African-American studies. [11]
At Columbia High School, she joined the school fencing team at age 13. [8] [12] Her former coach Frank Mustilli had her switch weapons, from épée to sabre. [12] [13]
In late 2002, Ibtihaj joined the Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York City. [14]
Ibtihaj attended Duke University and graduated in 2007 with an International Relations and African American Studies double major. [5] [15]
Ibtihaj has been a member of the United States National Fencing Team since 2010. She, as of 2017, ranks No. 2 in the United States and No. 7 in the world. She is a 5-time Senior World medalist, including 2014 World Champion in the team event. [16]
Ibtihaj won a bronze medal in the sabre team event. [6] [17] [18] She attracted significant media attention as the first woman to wear hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympic Games. [19]
Ibtihaj became the first Muslim-American woman to earn a medal at the Olympic Games and the first Black woman to earn an Olympic medal in a sabre event.[ citation needed ] She earned a bronze medal in the Team Sabre, by defeating Italy 45–30 in the medal match. This came after defeating Poland 45–43, and losing to Russia 42–45.
The 2016 Summer Olympics occurred during the U.S. Presidential campaign in which questions of Muslim assimilation were being discussed, including with respect to U.S.-born Muslims.[ citation needed ] Ibtihaj as visibly Muslim (due to her hijab) became "one of the best symbols against intolerance America can ever have", according to The Guardian . [20]
In 2014, Ibtihaj and her siblings launched their own clothing company, Louella, which aims to bring modest fashionable clothing to the United States market. [4] She is also a sports ambassador, serving on the U.S. Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport Initiative. She has traveled to various countries to engage in dialogue on the importance of sports and education. [21] [22]
In 2017, as part of its International Women's Day campaign, Mattel introduced a line of female role model Barbies, including one in a Hijab; and Barbie's first doll fencer, which is designed after Ibtihaj. [23] [24] Through the creation of a hijabi Barbie, it reinforced her belief that young girls and boys should see themselves through these toys while valuing inclusiveness and diversity.
She has also penned many books-- memoir and children books-- about her life growing up in New Jersey and her Olympic experience: [25]
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