An Olympic Triumph

She's not from the USA, my home country.

She didn't set a world record. In fact, her 100m sprint time probably wouldn't have won a high school state championship.

And she didn't win a gold medal, or any medal for that matter. She came in 62nd out of 63 entrants in the preliminaries.

So why is 18-year-old Robina Muqimyar of Afghanistan my favorite Olympian?

Because when she ran that 100 meters on Friday, Muqimyar wasn't running for personal victory, but for the victory of oppressed Muslim women all over the world.

Because just three years ago, in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Muqimyar could not even leave her house without risking being beaten or jailed. She had to stay home, shrouded in a burka, doing schoolwork in secret. She remembers, "We had no opportunities to do anything. Just staying at home and doing nothing."

Because she is brave. In 2001, an American-led army defeated the Taliban. The International Committee ruled that Afghanistan could compete in the Games if their delegation included women. So about a year ago, an athletic scout came to Muqimyar's school looking for possible female runners. Muqimyar had always liked running as a kid, before the Taliban took over, so she ran for the scout in her sandals, a dress, and head scarf. She wasn't the fastest runner, but she was the only one brave enough to agree to go to Greece.

Because she persevered. For women, running in public is still out of the question. Muqimyar's options were a small gym, where she went to run in circles, and a stadium where the Taliban used to hold public executions. Cheerful, no? And besides that, Muqimyar could only run when there were no men in the building and the door was locked. The cement track was full of bullet holes. She didn't have fancy Nike sneakers, or any sneakers for that matter. But she didn't give up.

And because she is a shining example of Afghani potential in a country that still has very conservative views about women. Most Afghanis still consider a female runner a disgrace. They say that Muqimyar will never be able to find a husband. But she didn't let that discourage her. So she and one other Afghani woman will be the first two women from Afghanistan ever to compete in the Olympic games.

In May, those two women and three men left for Athens to train with the rest of the Olympians.

For her race, Muqimyar wore green track pants and a short-sleeved shirt, a stark contrast to her bikini-clad opponents. "For me," she says, "having long trousers shows I am respecting my people, respecting my culture."

And when Muqimyar she came in 7th out of the eight people in her heat, she jumped up and down, waving her arms and smiling at the crowd. She happily explains, "Even if I were 18 meters in back of the others, I would have been very grateful and very happy, because I have been in the Olympic Games."

And then later, "I was ahead of one person, which is a great opportunity for me. I was not so far from the first."

Now that's a gold-medal worthy attitude if there ever was one.

And Muqimyar has big hopes for Beijing in 2008. "I will train even harder and hope to win a medal, at least a bronze medal."

I'll be watching for her.

~JasmineK

P.S. Muqimyar wasn't the only one to make history Friday. Other Muslim women who were the first women from their countries to run in the Olympics include Danah Al Nasrallah of Kuwait, Rakia Al Gassra of Bahrain, and Alla Jassim of Iraq.

And now it's time for...
WORKS CITED:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9455601.htm
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9455494.htm
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9452632.htm
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9460018.htm


Editor's Note: Wow. Just. Wow.


P.P.S. This is a bit late for the competition, I know, but it's my favorite joke!

What do a rabbit and a plum have in common?