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  • 3
    Aug
    2012
    8:23am, EDT

    Wojdan Shaherkani makes history as first Saudi Arabian woman in Olympics

    Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

    Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Shaherkani arrives ahead of her women's +78kg elimination round of 32 judo match against Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 3, 2012.

    Mitch Goldich, NBC Olympics reports — After a week of controversy and hand-wringing — first declaring she would fight without a hijab, then saying she would withdraw if not allowed to wear one — Wojdan Shaherkani finally made history this morning, as the first Saudi Arabian woman ever to participate in the Olympic Games.

    The bout lasted less than two minutes as Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica threw Shaherkani to her back with a match-ending ippon.  Shaherkani adjusted her head covering as she stood back up, and then shook Mojica's hand to rousing applause. Read the full story.

    Darren Staples / Reuters

    The bout between Shaherkani (top) and Mojica lasted less than two minutes.

    Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

    The crowd was friendly toward Shaherkani, cheering triumphantly when the PA announcer broke from his typical monotony of introductions to say, "The first woman ever from Saudi Arabia to compete in the Olympics, Shaherkani."

    View more photos from the London Olympics on PhotoBlog

    Complete coverage on NBCOlympics.com

    Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

    /

    Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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    1 comment

    Masha'llah! I and fellow Muslims are very proud of what you have accomplish today in being the first female Saudi competitor for Judo! I hope to see you come back and compete again in the future. You have inspired many Muslim women around the world! May Allah grant us peace and equality! Ameen!

    Show more
    Explore related topics: sports, olympics, london, saudi-arabia, judo, summer-games, wojdan-shaherkani

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