The maker of Barbie has announced it will sell a doll modelled after Ibtihaj Muhammad, an American fencer who competed in last year's Olympics while wearing a hijab.

Mattel said the doll will be available online next spring.

The doll is part of the Barbie "Shero" line that honours women who break boundaries.

Past dolls have included gymnast Gabby Douglas and Selma director Ava DuVernay.

"I had so many moments as an athlete where I didn't feel included, where I was often in spaces where there was a lack of representation," Muhammad said Monday night at the Glamour Women of the Year gala in New York.

"So to be in this moment, as a US Olympian, to have Mattel, such a global brand, diversify their toy line to include a Barbie doll that wears a hijab is very moving to me."

Ibtihaj Muhammad holds a Barbie doll in her likeness at the 2017 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York (Image: AP)

Muhammad, the first American to compete at the Olympics while wearing a hijab, won a bronze medal in fencing at the 2016 Rio Games.

"There was so much about the doll that was important to me," she said.

"I know as a kid I was bullied for having larger legs, and sport taught me to embrace my body and to love my body and the strength that it could produce."