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Ibtihaj Muhammad makes Olympic history

Rio de Janeiro - Muhammad became the first American athlete on Monday to compete in the Olympics with a hijab

American Ibtihaj Muhammad looked like all the other fencers when she stepped on the piste, save for the non-descript black scarf covering her head. 
With that small gesture, Muhammad made history. 
Muhammad became the first American athlete on Monday to compete in the Olympics with a hijab. 
Muhammad, ranked eighth in the world in sabre, beat Ukranian Olena Kravatska 15-13 in her first match before falling to France's Cecilia Berder 15-12 in the round of 16. 
Muhammad will compete again on Saturday in the team sabre event.
Muhammad has used her profile as an Olympian to try to change misconceptions others might have about Muslim-Americans.
"I feel like this is a great opportunity and a great moment for Team USA to even be more diverse than we have in the past, and I'm just looking forward to representing myself, my community and also my country," Muhammad said before the match.
Muhammad first made headlines when she qualified for the Olympics this year.
Muhammad subsequently became one of the biggest faces of the US team, appearing on talk shows all over the country while garnering attention not often showered on fencers.
"I wish that, not just my life, but the lives of Muslims all over the world were a little bit easier. I'm hoping that the rhetoric around the Muslim community will change," Muhammad said in Rio de Janeiro. 
As far as the piste goes, Muhammad might just be peaking at the right time.
Muhammad, a three-time NCAA All-American at Duke, has had a slow but steady rise to the top of the sabre community. She has moved from 12th to eighth in the world standings in 2016 and won gold at the Pan American Championships in Panama in June.
Muhammad also won bronze medals in recent World Cups in Greece and France, and the Olympic fencing tournament has so far been kind to underdogs.
The first two gold medalists were ranked seventh and 11th in the world, respectively.
"Being in this moment," Muhammad said, "I'm just very appreciative and thankful that I get to not just to do this for myself because it's been a lot of hard work, but hopefully in turn do this for other people all around the world."