RIO DE JANEIRO -- U.S. fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad came to the Rio Games determined to show the world that Muslim-American women can excel in sports.Muhammad will return home to New Jersey with proof that she was right.Muhammad, who became the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab during competition earlier this week, won a bronze medal Saturday along with her teammates in the womens team sabre event.The U.S. routed Italy 45-30 to clinch third place and the first womens medal in fencing for the Americans in Rio.This is sport. It doesnt matter what hair color you have, or what religion you are. The point is to go out there and be the best athlete you can be, said U.S. teammate Dagmara Wozniak. Were the best explanation of what American is. A mix of so many different cultures and races, and everything all together.Muhammad made headlines around the world Monday simply by wearing a head scarf on the piste, adhering to the tenets of her Muslim faith.The attention for the team event was much more focused simply on fencing -- and Muhammad reminded folks why she made the Olympic team in the first place.This has been a long journey for us, Muhammad said. To be able to compete at the level that weve worked toward, on the worlds biggest stage, the Olympic Games, is truly a blessing for us. ... Ill never forget this moment.The Americans opened against Poland, blowing an 11-point lead before two-time Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis got the U.S. through with a deft torso touch for the win.Russia won the first four of the nine-bout semifinals to go ahead 20-12, but Muhammad slowed Russias momentum with a narrow victory over second-ranked Yana Egorian.After Zagunis picked up another win, Muhammad had by far her best moment of the Olympics.Muhammad peppered Ekaterina Dyachenko with touch after touch, 10 in all, until the U.S. found itself with an improbable 35-34 edge.Our plan was that, no matter what happened, to just focus on these four voices, said Muhammad said of teammates Zagunis, Wozniak and Monica Aksamit. We were only listening to each other, and I just kept hearing `Just get one. Just get one.But Sofia Velikaya pulled the Russians back in front with six straight points, a margin even Zagunis was unable to overcome.Still, the U.S. team had yet to medal in a tournament all season.The Americans seized their chance to do so in Rio.The U.S. built a 25-15 lead after five matches, and Zagunis -- who declined to speculate on her future in the immediate aftermath of her fourth straight Olympics -- made that edge insurmountable. Pirates Jerseys 2019 . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Pirates Jerseys China . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Stitched Pirates Jerseys . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. Fake Pirates Jerseys . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. There are going to be a lot of players changing clubhouses over the next week, as the trade deadline approaches and teams with dreams of postseason glory attempt to wheel and deal their way into the best possible position prior to pesky waiver rules kicking in at the start of August. There may even be a few deals finalized while youre reading this column. Such are the hectic baseball times we live in each July.In terms of fantasy owners, reassessing your own rosters in the wake oof these late-July deals is always a difficult task, to be sure.dddddddddddd You have to factor in changes in roles and playing time, as well as differences in a players lineup, league and ballpark -- and oftentimes, until you see it play out, you still dont have any true idea of whether or not your now-traded player is in a better or worse situation. ' ' '