The Many Battles of Refugee Olympian Nigara Shaheen

Nigara Shaheen’s road to this year’s Paris Olympics has been more treacherous than most. Born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 1993, she was just six months old when her parents carried her across the mountainous border into Pakistan, fleeing the country’s raging civil war. In the city of Peshawar, she grew into a fighter, first as part of a rare all-girls karate team and, later, as a champion in judo, a sport she appreciated for its emphasis on intellect over aggression.

Shaheen’s love of judo took her all over...