Doha: Winning the Asian Games 200 metres in a veil proves there are no barriers to Muslim women pursuing their sporting dreams, champion Ruqaya Al Ghasara said on Monday.
The 24-year-old wore a hijab a scarf which covers the hair and neck along with leggings and long sleeves, but still outpaced her more scantily-clad rivals to win gold for Bahrain.
"I want to say I'm very thankful for being a Muslim; it's a blessing," said the sports management student.
"Wearing conservative clothes has encouraged me. Wearing a veil proves that Muslim women face no obstacles and encourages them to participate in sport. This is a glory to all Muslim women."
Understanding coach
Al Ghasara also said it was important that her Tunisian coach Noor Al Deen Tajin understood her culture. "He's a top-class coach, but he's also an Arab-Islamic coach who understands Muslim traditions," she said.
Bahrain's sports authorities have embarked on an ambitious programme to establish the Gulf state as an international power in athletics by recruiting mainly African runners to compete under their flag.
Last December she made history when she won her 100-metre heat to become the first woman to win a race at the West Asian Games (WAG), which had previously been men only.
This year she trained in South Africa, Bahrain and Qatar and might have had an even better haul of medals here had she not false-started in the 100-metre final and then got away poorly before a strong finish rescued third place.
