RIO DE JANEIRO _ Ibtihaj Muhammad sent her message loud and clear Monday in the Olympic fencing arena, letting it fly off the tip of her sabre and ping off her mask painted like an American flag.
Muhammad didn't win a fencing medal for the U.S. Monday, but the Duke graduate got her point across anyway. Muhammad became the first U.S. athlete to participate in the Olympics while wearing a hijab, the traditional covering for the hair and neck that is worn by Muslim women.
Muhammad won her first individual match to advance to the round of 16. Ranked No. 8 in the world in her event, Muhammad then lost to a French fencer ranked No. 9 and did a painful-looking split while losing the final point.
She still has a chance to win a medal in the team competition later in the week, but in the meantime Muhammad tried to balance the disappointment of losing Monday with the understanding that her symbolic presence on the U.S. team loomed larger than any single win or loss.
"I realize this moment is bigger than me," Muhammad said.
Muhammad's presence on the U.S. Olympic team gave her a megaphone, and she has used it wisely to promote sports and tolerance.
"A lot of people don't believe that Muslim women have voices, or that we participate in sports," Muslim said. "I want to challenge the misconceptions not only outside the Muslim community, but also within the Muslim community. ... I want to show girls it is important to be involved in sports and to lead an active lifestyle."
Cheering on Muhammad in the stands were about 10 family members, including her parents and most of her siblings. Said her father, Eugene Muhammad, as the competition progressed: "She's already gold to me. This is a grand achievement. ... Believe me, the ovation inside my heart _ it lights me up like a bulb."
Her older brother, Qareeb Muhammad, led "USA! USA!" cheers from the front row of the stands during both of his sister's matches. "She is African-American, Muslim and female, and when people have told her she can't, all her life she has told them she can," he said. "I'm so proud of my sister. She's my hero."
