The Kabul Tribune (KT)— Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi, who disguised herself as a man to pursue her sporting dreams in Afghanistan, won a silver medal in the women’s road race at the Asian Games on Tuesday, dedicating her achievement to the resilience of Afghan women, AFP reported.
The 23-year-old cyclist, who now lives and trains in Italy,
finished second in the road race near Nagoya and described the result as
“something special.”
Hashimi recalled how she was attacked with stones and
trained disguised as a man when she began cycling as a teenager alongside her
sister, Yulduz Hashimi, who is also a professional cyclist.
“I was born inside a country where the women who dream are
getting attacked, and I’m really happy that I have fought against that,”
Hashimi said, according to AFP.
“I hope that the next generation will come here and
represent their country without any fear.”
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 and
have since imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including limits
on education, employment, public life and participation in sports.
“They took away our freedom, they took away everything from
us,” said Hashimi, who is from northern Afghanistan’s Faryab province and left
the country after the Taliban takeover.
She said her silver medal represented the resilience of
Afghan women.
“This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan
women, and I’m really happy,” she said.
“I’m not alone. I know that behind me millions of women,
from many countries, have the same dream and they are standing with me.”
Hashimi left Afghanistan with the help of Italian former
world champion cyclist Alessandra Cappellotto and later settled in Italy, where
she continues to train.
Hashimi and her sister represented Afghanistan at the Paris
Olympics two years ago. She now has her sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles
Olympics.
“I never want to give up and hopefully we can see what can
happen again in Los Angeles,” she said.
Hashimi also thanked the Japanese team for helping her
during the Asian Games.
She said she arrived without a mechanic and had to handle
much of the work on her bicycle herself, including repairs and cleaning.
“We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was the mechanic for
myself. I was washing the bike myself,” she said.
Hashimi thanked the Japanese team for their assistance,
saying they were “really, really nice” and helped repair her bicycle.
