MAPLEWOOD, NJ — In his final week in office, President Barack Obama added four Olympic medalists to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Gymnast Gabby Douglas, ice hockey player Caitlin Cahow, soccer player Carli Lloyd and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad join the council, which is co-chaired by Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Dominique Dawes and NFL quarterback Drew Brees.
Muhammad, a Maplewood native who graduated from Columbia High School in 2004, made history as the first U.S. woman to compete at the Olympic Games wearing a hijab. The team saber bronze medalist in Rio, she also serves on the U.S. State Department’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport Initiative. Currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Muhammad was a three-time All-American for Duke University and holds five world championship medals — one gold, four bronzes.
Other Olympians already serving on the council are track and field’s Allyson Felix, figure skater Michelle Kwan, volleyball player Christa Dietzen and basketball’s Grant Hill, Alonzo Mourning and Chris Paul.
In final weeks, Obama adds Maplewood fencer to President’s Council added by Editor on
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