With her own Barbie doll in her image, it's fair to say that Ibtihaj Muhammad's fencing talent has got her pretty far. But the athlete admits that she's messed up countless times while competing, unfortunately due to not having the best sportswear to help her perform while covered.
Celebrating the release of the Nike Pro Hijab on December 1, Rio Olympics Bronze medalist for Team USA confessed that she used an unconventional method to keep her hijab in place.
She revealed she would tie her hijab in the back, pin it under her chin at the front and tuck the extra fabric under her bra straps to keep it snug.
"When the material is wet, it gets really heavy and stiff," she said about sweating with her children's hijab on, made from doubled georgette material. "It would completely obstruct my hearing.
"I know that's hard to envision, but that's what I wore for literally my entire athletic career."
It meant she had trouble hearing the referee and often got in trouble for false starts.
"First, I'd get a warning and then a point against me…I can't tell you how many times that happened and I'd tell the referee, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you,'" she shared.
The New Jersey native, as well as the likes of ice skater Zahra Lari and Nike Run Club ambassador Manal Rostrom are now reaping the benefits of the new addition to the market.
"It really sunk in how much my previous hijab was hindering my performance when I tried the Nike Pro Hijab," Muhammad said. "Suddenly, I could hear, I wasn't as hot and it felt like my body was able to cool itself down better and faster.
"The Nike Pro Hijab will help advance the conversation around hijabs and Muslim women in sports and further make sports an inclusive space."
For now the hijab is available in black and obsidian and from January it's out in white, vast gray and more hues. Get it from nike.com and select retailers in more than 20 countries. Check it out in the gallery.
