Aquil_Abdullah
Aquil Abdullah
American rower
Aquil Hashim Abdullah (born Aquil ibn Michael X. Shumate; June 20, 1973) is an American rower who was the first African-American male to qualify for the Summer Olympics in the sport of rowing. He was the first African-American rower to win the Diamond Sculls race at the Henley Royal Regatta in 2000.[1] He was also the first African-American male to win a rowing national championship in 1996, when he won the single sculls competition.[2] He attended George Washington University. He co-authored a book with Chris Ingraham titled Perfect Balance in 2001, after his failure to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics.[1]