Hawzah News Agency - A Muslim high school student in the US state of Ohio was disqualified from a cross country race earlier this month for wearing a hijab.

Noor Abukaram, 16, said she was told her attire was against uniform regulations after crossing the finish line, adding that the experience made her feel “humiliated”, World News reported.

She had been running for the Sylvania Northview school team all season, and her hijab had never been an issue before the district level race on Saturday in the city of Findlay.

Abukaram stated that she began to fear something was wrong when she saw her coach speaking with officials.

She ran anyway, and photos show her wearing a headscarf during the race. But she soon learned she had been disqualified because of her hijab.

"Immediately my heart drops, I become nauseous and feel like I got punched in the gut," she wrote, noting that "this is something that I had always feared which has now become a reality. I just walked away and my teammates didn't say anything else".

The teen stated that she began crying to her dad on the phone, feeling "humiliated, disappointed, rejected and in denial".

Abukaram's coach later explained that in order to race with her hijab on, she needed to fill out a waiver ahead of the competition.

Abukaram noted that she has been running for Sylvania Northview High School the whole season and officials have never mentioned a uniform violation or need for a waiver.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) announced in a statement that runners with religious headwear need to have a waiver to participate.