THE ATHLETIC
TRAILBLAZER
IBTIHAJ MUHAMMAD
U.S. Olympic fencing medalist,
who was the first
Muslim American woman to
compete in a hijab
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: “In a way, my
life and my journey have always been
bigger than fencing. Competing at the
Olympics was also about reshaping the
narrative around who a Muslim woman
is: what she looks like, what she does.
I’ve always wanted to transcend the
sport in a way that changes people and
changes their worldview.”
DROWN OUT THE DOUBTERS:
“Don’t let misconceptions define you.
Throughout my life in sport, I’ve been
told that I don’t belong or that I’m not
capable of being successful. But I don’t
rely on other people’s acceptance in
order to love myself and believe in
myself. It’s always been, ‘Oh, I know
I’m a badass.’ I felt the need to show that
this is possible—not just for me but also
to encourage, motivate, inspire, and
empower the next group of girls who
may be made to feel the same way.”
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT:
“Try not to harp on your mistakes. For
athletes, some of them can cost you
a match or a medal. But know that you
can self-correct. If I have a bad day, I can
practice to put myself in a better posi-
tion in the next competition. There’s
always room to grow and become a lot
better. And that’s something that I think
translates outside sport if we reshape
our minds to believe that.”
