In pictures: Today in sports

Here's to trailblazers who change the face of the game and to the victorious who sometimes have to step down from the pedestal. A pictorial look at this mixed bag of sporting action from the day gone by.

Normalcy | Golfing aside, Noor Ahmed has just made history. The Nebraska NCAA college player is the only golfer at the college level or higher known to wear a hijab while competing. She hopes to make a statement about cultural normalcy and hopes Muslim girls watching her get inspired to go beyond environments of fear and hostility to realise their dreams.

Scoring beyond the field | Former French footballer Lilian Thuram hasn't had a quiet retirement. He has tirelessly championed causes, one of them being race. He is seen here talking to high schoolers as he gives a talk on racism in and beyond the sport. (AFP)

Bittersweet victories | Iranian boxer Sadaf Khadem beat French boxer Anne Chauvin in an official bout in France. However, a country that would be expected to be proud of their victorious athlete issued a warrant for her arrest. Her bare head and shorts meant she was defying the country's rule that female athletes should dress in line with Islamic laws. Consequentially, she has cancelled her return to Iran. (Reuters)

Win some, lose some | World number 1, Novak Djokovic couldn't get past Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament in Monaco. (AP)

Testing one's patience | Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant paces around the bench, impatient to get into the thick of things, during the first half in Game 3 of the team's first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles. He went on to guide his team to a 2-1 series lead after a 38-point bounce back. (AP).

Of the people | JJ Redick of the Philadelphia 76ers falls in to the crowd after a play in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets during a game in the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center in New York City.(AFP)

Stroke of luck | The internet would agree that this is the face of exhilaration when you pass an exam you had no hopes for. US Gymnasts seem pleasantly astonished by the scores they've managed in the ISU World Team Trophy Figure Skating competition in Japan. (AP)

Streamline | This photograph of France's Beryl Gastaldello is perfectly timed as she competes in women's 50 Backstroke heat during the French swimming championships in Rennes. (AFP)

I know what you did last summer | Alexander Dimitrenko looks like he has some good scoop on someone as he reacts during a press conference ahead of his heavyweight bout against Andy Ruiz Jr. (AFP)

Fear | It always gives us jitters to see someone poised to win a race looking back at their competition. Australian's Yart Yamaha YZF R1 Formula EWC rider N°7 Broc Parkes can't help but sneak a look at where he stands in the second qualifying practice session ahead of 42st Le Mans 24-hours endurance moto race. (AFP)

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Normalcy | Golfing aside, Noor Ahmed has just made history. The Nebraska NCAA college player is the only golfer at the college level or higher known to wear a hijab while competing. She hopes to make a statement about cultural normalcy and hopes Muslim girls watching her get inspired to go beyond environments of fear and hostility to realise their dreams.