Cyclist who dressed as man to avoid Taliban wins silver medal

In practice, a female cyclist from Afghanistan who previously disguised herself as a man when chasing a career in the sport has won a silver medal at the Asian Games.

Key points

• Hashimi and her sister competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics and are now setting their sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
• Fariba Hashimi fled her country after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
• Banned from football at home, Afghan women's team reunite 8, 000 miles away.
• Hashimi followed her sister Yulduz, additionally an international cyclist, into the sport at the age of 15, despite danger in their home province of Faryab.
• Hashimi now lives and trains in Italy thanks to support from the Italian former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto.

She notes she trained in disguise out of necessity before then in a bid to avoid being attacked, in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted.

She earned her medal in the women's road race near Nagoya in Japan on Tuesday.

For context, the 23-year-old's achievement follows her seventh-place finish in the women's individual time trial on Sunday.

Describing her medal as "something special", Hashimi hopes it can inspire other women in Afghanistan to follow their dreams.

"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, " she remarked.

"I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear."

Banned from football at home, Afghan women's team reunite 8, 000 miles away. King meets women's cricket team that is not allowed to exist.

"I always dressed as a man to go to training, wearing two or three different masks so ‌people ⁠would not recognise or attack me, " Hashimi previously informed Reuters., external.

Hashimi remarked she would have to avoid stones being thrown at her whilst riding her bike.

Looking back at life in Afghanistan, Hashimi remarked the Taliban "took away our freedom".

"This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women, and I'm really happy, " she remarked.

"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."

"I never want to give up, " Hashimi remarked, "and hopefully we can see again in Los Angeles."

Taken together, the developments around cyclist who dressed as man to avoid Taliban wins silver medal point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.