Wearing long sleeves and a hijab, Tina Rahimi’s journey to become the first female Muslim boxer selected to represent Australia at the Olympics has not been an easy one at all.

Before getting into the ring, Rahimi has her arms and legs covered, wearing a full-length hijab under her protective headgear. Asked whether it was comfortable or not, she said, “Oh god, it’s extremely hot. In the Solomon Islands, the humidity was insane. As soon as I put the head cover on, I was dripping sweat. But, like with fasting and training, I adjust.”

The holy month of Ramadan, during which time the Muslim faithful abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset, coincided with this year’s IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in India.

“I had to get my running in before sunrise in order to keep up my training and water levels,” Rahimi said.

She added, “I could only do one session a day. I felt very fatigued, drained. But it’s part of my religion and so it’s important to me.”

Rahimi’s achievements are not limited to qualifying to the Olympics. She was also the first female Australian Muslim boxer to compete at a Commonwealth Games when she won a bronze medal in the featherweight division (57 kilograms) in Birmingham in 2022.

She also won gold at the recent Pacific Games in Honiara, in the Solomon Islands, where she was the unanimous choice of all five judges in the final.

From running to boxing and football, the rise of inspirational Muslim women in sport is in full swing.

Last year, England’s first hijabi boxing coach Haseebah Abdullah was recognized as a Birmingham “Hometown Hero”.

Rahimi is not the only hijabi boxer. Many female Muslim boxers joined the sport after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) amended its rules in 2019. The new rules allow Muslim boxers to wear a hijab and cover full body in the ring.

Source: WAtoday