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With the Paris Olympics just days away, the July/August edition of Vogue Arabia honors two Arab sportswomen whose influence extends far beyond the playing field. Photo: Amer Mohamad Hailing from Morocco, hurdler Nawal El Moutawakel became the first Arab and Muslim woman in history to win Olympic gold back in 1984, and taekwondo champion Dunya Aboutaleb is the first Saudi woman to earn direct qualification for the Paris Olympics. While our cover stars inhabit different eras in their careers, they share a common distinction: one of pioneering new frontiers in their fields, and standing for female empowerment in fields traditionally dominated by men.

At the Los Angeles Olympics four decades ago, El Moutawakel’s historic win at the 400m hurdle event marked a breakthrough moment that gave Arab women the self-belief and courage to take up sports, which had at that point been regarded as the preserve of men. “Being the first showed me and the entire planet that women from this part of the world are capable, they have dreams, and they have big goals in life,” she says. “I am so proud to have been able to open that door to so many young girls and to carry the Olympic torch, because that flame is going to be lit forever.



” Emerging from this trailblazing career, El Moutawakel is now passing the torch to the next generation of champions: ones like Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Aboutaleb. At just 26 years old, Aboutaleb is the first Saudi woman to earn direct qualification for the Olym.

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