New Jersey native Ibtihaj Muhammad advanced to the Round of 16 in sabre fencing at the Rio Olympics with a 15-13 win over Ukraine’s Olena Kravatska on Monday, but was eliminated one round later at the hands of France’s Cecilia Berder.
Muhammad made history as the first American citizen to wear hijab, the traditional Muslim head covering, during an Olympic event.
Fellow American fencer Mariel Zagunis lost in the Round of 16 as well, while Dagmara Wozniak lost one round earlier.
In Muhammad’s Round of 16 win, Kravatska was game and took a 2-0 lead, but Muhammad leveled things at 4 and then went ahead 7-4.
The Ukrainian then rallied to take a 8-7 advantage to the break, though things again went level at 10, 11, 12, and 13.
