A high school athlete ran her personal best but was disqualified for her hijab

By Christina Zdanowicz, CNN
Updated 0122 GMT (0922 HKT) October 25, 2019

(CNN) — After crossing the finish line, a high school athlete's runner's high soon turned into a broken heart.

Noor Alexandria Abukaram was disqualified because she was wearing a hijab, which doesn't conform to uniform regulations.

The 16-year-old cross country runner at Sylvania Northview High School in Ohio said she knew something was wrong when she looked up at the board at the district meet on Saturday. Her name and time were not listed, she said.

"It was like your worst nightmare to have to compete and then find out that you got disqualified and it's because of something that you love," Abukaram told CNN on Thursday. "Why should you have to sacrifice your religion and a part of who you are to run, to do another thing that you're very passionate about?"

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"The OHSAA is also already looking at this specific uniform regulation to potentially modify it in the future, so that religious headwear does not require a waiver," the statement said.

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