Jamilah, Zaynah, and Latifah McBryde never set out to change the rules of American women’s wrestling.
Growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., the three homeschooled Muslim sisters simply loved wrestling each other — but they never imagined a path forward in the sport because of their faith.
“We always said we would never be able to wrestle in college,” said Jamilah, 22, Texas Public Radio reported.
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Wrestling with boys was out of the question, and standard singlets didn’t meet their modesty requirements. But their passion, paired with relentless perseverance, led to historic rule changes allowing Muslim women to compete in full-body uniforms at collegiate and national levels.
Their custom uniforms, inspired by Iranian women’s wrestling gear, included long-sleeved shirts layered over one another, pants over leggings, and a head covering — designed for coverage, but not without challenges.
“It started off kind of rough,” said Zaynah, 19. “The more we trained and, like, started to try to compete, it was like, these hijabs aren’t staying on.”
Challenges
With guidance from trainers and coaches, they adapted — using velcro to secure shirts and taping hijabs in place.
Their modest uniforms sparked controversy. In 2022, Latifah qualified to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Championships, but international officials denied her request to wear a modified uniform. She couldn’t compete.
While some college coaches hesitated, others saw potential. The coaching team at Life University in Marietta, Ga., stood out.
“The coaches at Life were the first ones that said, ‘If they’re on our team, they’re part of the family. We’re getting the rule changed,’” said Zaynah.
Thanks to those efforts, the NAIA approved the modified uniforms in 2022. The sisters enrolled at Life University that fall and found an affirming team culture — where teammates downloaded prayer apps and coaches respected their fasting during Ramadan.
“While there is a lot of negativity and people who don’t support us wrestling this way, there are a lot who do,” said Jamilah.
Even with national titles and Olympic trial qualifications, the international body United World Wrestling ruled their uniforms gave them an unfair advantage.
The sisters and their coaches disagree, pointing out how the extra layers increase heat and have even been targeted by opponents trying to tear hijabs off.
Still, moments of respect on the mat shine through. “There are people that we’ve wrestled against and our hijab will come off in the match, and they’ll stop wrestling and cover us,” Jamilah said.
This year, Zaynah and Latifah won national championships while fasting during Ramadan. Jamilah placed second to a former Olympian.
Following their advocacy, USA Wrestling updated its rules to allow the modified gear. “I was just shocked,” Jamilah said. “Like, it actually happened. We did it.”
Olympic dreams remain uncertain, but their legacy is already clear.
“Even if I don’t ever step on an Olympic stage,” Latifah said, “I’ve had a lasting impact on wrestling.”