Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad

At the 2013 World Fencing Championships
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	December 4, 1985 (age 30) Maplewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Duke University
Occupation	Sabre
Medal record World Championships 2014 Kazan Team 2011 Catania Team 2012 Kiev Team 2013 Budapest Team 2015 Moscow Team

Ibtihaj Muhammad (born December 4, 1985) is an American sabre fencer and member of the United States fencing team. She is best known for being the first Muslim woman who observes hijab to qualify for the United States Olympic Team.^[1]

Early life

Muhammad was born in Maplewood, New Jersey, of African American descent.^[2] She was raised in a family with four siblings. As a Muslim youth, Muhammad’s parents were in search of a sport for her to play where she could be fully covered.^[3]

Muhammad attended Columbia High School, a public high school in Maplewood, where she joined the fencing team at age 13.^[3]

Fencing career

In late 2002, Muhammad joined the prestigious Peter Westbrook Foundation, a program which utilizes the sport of fencing as a vehicle to develop life skills in young people from underserved communities. She was invited to train under the Westbrook Foundation's Elite Athlete Program in New York City. She is coached by former PWF student and 2000 Sydney Olympian Ahki Spencer-El.

Muhammad attended Duke University, where she received an academic scholarship. She was a 3-time All-American and 2005 Junior Olympic Champion.^[4] Muhammad graduated from Duke University in 2007 with an International Relations and African Studies double major.^[5]

References

1. Storm, Hannah (August 12, 2011). "Muslim fencer has it all covered". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
2. https://web.archive.org/web/20111126172820/http://usfencing.org:80/athletes/ibtijah-muhammad. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. Berg, Aimee (June 24, 2011). "Fencer With Headscarf Is a Cut Above the Rest". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
4. Ibtihaj Muhammad (1985-12-04). "Ibtihaj Muhammad Bio - Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site". GoDuke.com. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
5. https://web.archive.org/web/20111230074029/http://www.fencingmastersnyc.com:80/athletes.html. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)