Asian Games 2026: Afghan cyclist, who fled after Taliban came to power, defies all odds to win women's silver
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Asian Games 2026: Afghan cyclist, who fled after Taliban came to power, defies all odds to win women's silver")
Asian Games 2026: Afghan cyclist, who fled after Taliban came to power, defies all odds to win women's silver Photograph: (AFP)
Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi won silver in the women’s road race at the 2026 Asian Games. Living in Italy after fleeing the Taliban, she overcame a lack of support to inspire Afghan women.
Fariba Hashimi, an Afghan cyclist, defied all odds to win a silver medal on Tuesday (Sep 22) at the 2026 Asian Games, currently underway in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Hashimi, who fled her country after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, now lives in Italy and hopes that her win inspires women in her homeland, where they are subjected to various restrictions. The 23-year-old came second behind China’s Guo Li in the women’s road race after overcoming many obstacles, including not having a proper team.
How Hashimi defied odds to win cycling silver at Asian Games 2026
Hashimi hails from Faryab province in northern Afghanistan. She was attacked with stones when she started out and disguised herself as a man to practice, reports news agency AFP.
“I was born inside a country where women who dream are getting attacked, and I’m really happy that I have fought against that,” she said. “I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear.”
“They took away our freedom, they took away everything from us. 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 have the same dream, and they are standing with me.”
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After fleeing Afghanistan, Fariba and her sister Yulduz, who is also a cyclist, settled in Italy with the help of former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto. The sisters also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics and now look forward to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Fariba also had a word of praise for host nation Japan, revealing: “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. We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was the mechanic for myself. I was washing the bike myself. Thank you to the Japanese team. They were really, really nice to me and fixed my bike.”
