Afghan cyclist who raced disguised as a man wins Asian Games silver
Fariba Hashimi. File photo: Reuters.
An Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man to chase her sporting dreams won an Asian Games silver medal on Tuesday, and said she hopes it inspires other women in a country where Taliban authorities have severely restricted their freedoms.
Fariba Hashimi, who is based in Italy, finished second in the women's road race near Nagoya, Japan, describing the achievement as "something special."
"I can't explain my feelings now," said the 23-year-old. She then recalled how she was pelted with stones and trained while pretending to be a man when she first took up the sport as a teenager, alongside her sister Yulduz, who is also now a professional cyclist.
"I was born in a country where women who dream are attacked, and I'm really happy that I have fought against that," she said.
"I hope the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear."
The Taliban returned to power in 2021 and has since imposed a series of restrictions on women's access to education and public life, including sports.
"They took away our freedom, they took away everything from us," said Hashimi, who is from Faryab province in northern Afghanistan and left the country after the Taliban took over.
"This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women, and I'm really happy.
"I'm not alone. I know that behind me, millions of women from many countries share the same dream and are standing with me."
After fleeing Afghanistan with help from former Italian world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, Hashimi moved to Italy, where she now lives and trains.
She and her sister competed at the Paris Olympics two years ago, and the 2028 Los Angeles Games are now coming into view.
"I never want to give up, and hopefully we can see what can happen again in Los Angeles," she said.
Hashimi gave special thanks to the Japanese team for helping her win silver.
"I'm here without a mechanic, without any preparation. We brought one guy with us from the national federation, and he just drove the car," she said.
"We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was my own mechanic. I was washing the bike myself.
"Thank you to the Japanese team. They were really, really nice to me and fixed my bike."
