The Paris Olympics showcased athletes who not only won medals but also made history. The Muslim News celebrates the olympians who stole the show and made headlines beyond their medals.
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan wears her hijab during her gold medal Olympics crowning ceremony in Paris. pic.twitter.com/HbySPu4JKT
— Muslim (@Muslim) August 12, 2024
The Netherlands’ triple medallist runner Sifan Hassan has garnered global acclaim for accepting her marathon gold medal at the closing ceremony while wearing a hijab, directly challenging France’s ban on the religious garment for their athletes. The marathon takes center stage at the closing ceremony, where winners are honored in a grand victory event.
This year, the women’s marathon, not the men’s, took center stage in tribute to the 1789 Women’s March on Versailles. Hassan broke the Olympic women’s marathon record with a time of 2:22:55 and made history as the first woman to win gold in the 5,000m, 10,000m, and marathon across two Games.
During the closing ceremony, Hassan stood on the podium alongside Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa, who took silver, and Hellen Obiri, who earned bronze, but it was Hassan’s decision to wear a hijab for the first time as she stepped onto the podium that resonated most, seen by many as a bold statement against the host nation’s ban on their female athletes wearing hijabs during the competition, enacted just last September.
Sarah Shogari became the first hijabi European to win an Olympic medal, earning bronze in Taekwondo. The Belgian athlete, born to a Moroccan father and Belgian mother, had already been a 2022 world champion and ranked number one globally in the 67 kg division, cementing her legacy as a trailblazer in Belgian sports.
After Khelif’s 46-second victory over Italy’s Angela Carini, social media buzzed with misinformation about her gender. The rumors stemmed from her disqualification from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships by the Russian-led International Boxing Association due to unspecified gender eligibility tests.
However, the International Olympic Committee and its Paris Boxing Unit confirmed her Olympic eligibility, dismissing the disqualification as “sudden and arbitrary” and lacking due process. No medical evidence suggests Khelif has XY chromosomes or elevated testosterone levels. Khelif, who was born female, won the gold medal on August 9 by defeating China’s Yang Liu, becoming Algeria’s first female boxing gold medallist and the first boxer to win gold since 1996. Her victory followed intense scrutiny and online abuse, including false claims that she was male. Khelif condemned the backlash as “harmful to human dignity” and filed a criminal complaint in France for cyberbullying.
Over a decade after crafting his first javelin from a simple bamboo stick in a small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Arshad Nadeem shocked the world by not just clinching Olympic gold but breaking the world record in the process.
“I made that javelin myself back in 2012,” said Nadeem, reminiscing about his humble beginnings in a sport that pales in popularity compared to cricket in Pakistan. He became the first Pakistani to win an individual gold medal in the country’s history. Since his gold medal victory on August 8, Nadeem has become a national sensation, triumphing over his subcontinental rival, Neeraj Chopra of India, who claimed the silver.
At 17, Kaylia Nemour made history by winning gold on the uneven bars for Algeria, just two years after being barred from representing France. Nemour’s path to success began when a dispute between the French gymnastics federation and her club, Avoine Beaumont, prompted her to switch allegiance to Algeria.
The Federation insisted she change coaches and move to Paris, but Nemour chose her own course. She triumphed in Paris, while the French team struggled at their home Olympics, failing to place any athlete in the apparatus finals.
Turkish marksman Yusuf Dikeç didn’t expect to go viral when he competed in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event. But hours after the competition, a photo of his relaxed stance—hand in pocket—spread worldwide.
Unlike most shooters, who wear visors, bulky ear defenders, and specialised glasses, Dikeç aimed with just a simple pair of glasses, a yellow earplug, and what looked like an ordinary t-shirt. His unconventional style didn’t stop him from helping his team win silver, and memes celebrating his cool demeanour quickly went viral.
Photos: Turkey’s shooting silver medallist Yusuf Dikeç gained internet fame for his relaxed stance. (Credit: Adem Kutucu/AA)
Elham Asaad Buaras
