by Sofia Moreau

A close-up shot of a smiling, radiant woman sporting a hijab and boxing gloves, wrapped hands extended in a powerful fighting pose.[[]]

Celebrating the first UK-based, hijab-wearing professional Muay Thai athlete, meet a woman that has transformed not just her life, but the narratives surrounding acceptance and representation in the world of sports.

Her passion for sports ignited early on, with a relentless will to push her boundaries, whether it was how far she could swim or how swiftly she could move. For her, a fitness-focused career was the inevitable choice. She committed her youth to personal training and pursued a sports science degree, feeding off the joy she felt when helping others gain confidence and cherish their bodies for their remarkable capabilities.

A decade ago, the conventional athletic clubs left her disinterested, leading her to the ritual-laden, demanding, and respect-propagating world of the Thai martial art of Muay Thai. Not a stranger to being the sole woman training amidst men, her real trials began when she started wearing her hijab.

The road to acceptance and representation was a grinding journey for her, a Muslim woman in the sea of sports. This athletic industry has often lacked diversity, leaving women like her feeling secluded and unrepresented. She is now committed to paving the way for women from every background, utilizing her platform to make room for everyone who dares to pursue sports.

Re-entering the ring with her hijab, representing her Islamic faith, after a half-decade hiatus was beyond just personal achievement. She was determined to tear down societal stereotypes about women, and predominantly Muslim women, in sports. She faced the fight pacified in the knowledge that she was establishing a path for countless other women to tread on and chase their ambitions.

She is also a proud advocate for the Let’s Move campaign by TRX, which promotes inclusive fitness. The campaign resonates with her perspective on fitness, emphasizing that there aren’t any rules to movement as long as it keeps you in motion, irrelevant of age, sex, size, or any other factors. She firmly believes in this positive and powerful message because, in her view, health and fitness should be for everyone.

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