Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi won a silver medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, finishing second behind eventual gold medallist Guo Li of China in the women’s road race at the Shinshiro Cycling Road Course in Aichi, Japan.
Hashimi, who crossed the finish line just behind Guo with a time of two hours, 50 minutes and five seconds, described her achievement as “something special”, considering the restrictions imposed on women by the Taliban authorities in her country.
Had to disguise herself as a man to pursue cycling
The 23-year-old, who is based in Italy, said she could not explain the feeling of winning a silver medal for a country of 45 million people, especially given how she was able to continue training despite the restrictions and dangers she faced.
She said she had been attacked by people in her community, who threw stones to discourage her and her sister Yulduz, who is also a professional cyclist, from pursuing cycling.
Hashimi noted that she was happy to have fought against the persecution and prejudice she faced and hoped that the next generation would be able to represent Afghanistan without fear.
The cyclist expressed hope that her medal could demonstrate the resilience of Afghan women and inspire her female compatriots.
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Carrying the Afghan women’s sporting dreams
Hashimi, who fled Afghanistan with the assistance of former Italian world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, said she felt that she was carrying the dreams of women across her country.
That is why she continues to train hard in Italy, where she currently resides, with the goal of representing Afghanistan on the international stage.
Yulduz and Fariba both competed at the Paris Olympics and are hoping to qualify for another Olympic Games in 2028, this time in Los Angeles.
Hashimi pledged that she would never give up on her dream of making it to Los Angeles and potentially winning Afghanistan’s third Olympic medal. Taekwondo athlete Rohullah Nikpai won the country’s first two Olympic medals, both bronze, in 2008 and 2012.
A medal in Los Angeles would also make Hashimi the first Afghan woman to win an Olympic medal.
She also expressed gratitude to the Japanese team for helping her during the Asian Games, including fixing her bicycle.
“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,” Hashimi said.
“We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was the mechanic for myself. I was washing the bike myself.”
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