Muslim-American Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Mohamed visited Aspire Academy on Thursday, spending time with Qatar’s young athletes and hearing about the academy’s philosophy on a guided tour and gaining first-hand insight into Aspire’s fencing programme.
Ibtihaj is a renowned sabre fencer on the US fencing team. She joined the team in 2010 and participated in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics with the US, becoming the first Muslim-American female athlete to win an Olympic medal. She is also known as the first US athlete to compete at the Olympic Games in a hijab.
She became a sporting icon in the US and major sports apparel company Nike launched the 'Nike-Pro hijab' for female Muslim athletes.
During a 30-minute Q&A session with Aspire Academy’s fencing team, Ibtihaj shared many experiences with the Qatari boys and told them about the time she began fencing when she was 13.
