Float like a butterfly, sting like Tina

At 21 years of age, Tina Rahimi attended her first boxing class in Western Sydney, where she was born and raised. At 26, Tina competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and won a Bronze medal, making her the first Muslim woman to represent Australia in boxing.

Very few hijabi Muslim women have attended high level sports competitions such as the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, specially in combat sports. In Australia, female boxing was banned until 2009. Despite women of various backgrounds train within the sport, Tina still remains as an exceptional figure for young women in Australia and across the world.

Tina's ambitions and drive exist alongside her identity as a Muslim woman. She leads her life within the values of her faith and an inner drive to push past her own personal barriers. Coming from a family of athletes, wrestlers and warriors, Tina's unwavering focus and strength can be felt inside and outside of the ring.

Tina is now training to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She is focused on winning the Australian Nationals set to take place in November 2022. With this fund I would be able to follow Tina's ambitious steps in Australia and in Paris. The work will focus on her training challenges and potential wins, while documenting who she is as a woman. This work would contribute a precedent of an unconventional woman in the likes of Muhammad Ali, and hopefully encourage more women to push towards high level sports and athleticism.