[1][2] She competed athletically under the name Muqimyar and ran for a seat in the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, using her family name of Jalali.

[1] She attracted international attention for running while wearing the hijab, the traditional Muslim woman's head covering.

Her father was a businessman in the computer industry who now runs a non-profit company that teaches Afghan women how to sew.

[7] She was not initially due to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,[8] but joined Afghanistan's delegation[9] after female sprinter Mehboba Ahdyar left her training camp in June to seek political asylum in Norway.

[2] The Guardian described her as a true embodiment of the Olympic spirit: She ran for office as an independent, on a platform of equal rights for women and youth, in the September 2010 parliamentary election.