Fariba Hashimi won silver in the women’s cycling road race at the Asian Games on Tuesday
She finished the race in 2 hours, 50 minutes and 5 seconds
Hashimi said she trained in Afghanistan by dressing as a man to avoid abuse and attack
Winning silver at the Asian Games was the simple part for Fariba Hashimi. Training in Afghanistan was far harder for the Afghan cyclist, who had to dress like a man in a country where women have few rights.
Fariba Hashimi won silver in the women's cycling road race at the Asian Games on Tuesday, capping a journey that began when she fled Afghanistan in 2021. The Afghan rider finished in 2 hours, 50 minutes, 5 seconds.
Hashimi trained in a country where women have few rights and where riding a bicycle exposed her to abuse and attack.
Training in Afghanistan
Training was dangerous.
Hashimi said she dressed as a man so she could keep riding in Afghanistan. “All the time when I was going to training,” she said, “I was dressing as a guy.”
She also tried to hide her face when she could to avoid being recognised. “Because sometimes when they recognized me, they were trying to throw ... stone(s) or hitting me,” she said.
That was the reality behind her rise. In a place where women have few rights, even basic training brought risk.
Escape And Ambition
She left to keep her dream alive.
Hashimi said she escaped Afghanistan in 2021 after the Taliban moved into the country. “In 2021, when the Taliban moved into my country, I escaped my country because I wanted to follow my dream,” she said. “I want to show the Afghanistan women in the world that ... we can have an opportunity.”
Hashimi talked about having many dreams for women in Afghanistan, dreams for herself and dreams that may take time to be realized.
The silver medal left her overwhelmed. “I’m really, really happy and I’m full of emotion. I don’t know how I can explain it for you,” she said.
But her ambitions stretch far beyond one race.
“I hope one day I come back in my country and ride the streets of Kabul — and riding with the women side by side to share the same passion,” she explained.
She also spoke about change in Afghanistan. “And I hope in the future changing some things,” she added. “I think we are really tired of the situation of our country and I hope the Taliban is watching. I know how much one woman can be powerful and that's why Taliban is scared (of) women.”
(With Inputs From AP)
