She won the bronze medal in the Women’s Sabre World Cup on Saturday to be qualified to represent the US fencing team in Rio, Brazil.
'When most people picture an Olympic fencer, they probably do not imagine a person like me. Fortunately, I am not most people,' she explains in her USA Fencing bio. 'I have always believed that with hard work, dedication, and perseverance, I could one day walk with my U.S. teammates into Olympic history.'
'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. I want to set an example that anything is possible with perseverance.'
The New Jersey native has been fencing since the age of 13, IQNA reported.
The 2016 games, or Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016 in Portuguese, will be held from August 5 to August 21.
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Tehran, Feb 6, IRNA – Ibtihaj Muhammad is the first American athlete to partake in the Olympics with hijab.
