Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man wins Asian Games silver
23-year-old fled Afghanistan in 2021 and is now based in Italy
Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi, who once disguised herself as a man to pursue her passion for cycling, has won a silver medal in the women’s road race at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The 23-year-old finished second in the road race final at the Shinshiro Cycling Road Course in Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday. China’s Guo Li won gold, while Hong Kong’s Leung Wing Yee took bronze.
Hashimi’s silver came two days after she finished seventh in the women’s individual time trial. She completed the 24.2-kilometre course two minutes and three seconds behind Kazakhstan’s Rinata Sultanova, who won the event.
Her journey to the Asian Games podium has been shaped by the risks she faced while pursuing cycling in Afghanistan.
Hashimi began cycling at the age of 15 after following her older sister, Yulduz, into the sport. But in her home province of Faryab, she had to disguise herself as a man to attend training sessions.
“I always dressed as a man to go to training, wearing two or three different masks so people would not recognise or attack me. I was scared of them finding me,” Hashimi was quoted by Reuters.
Targeted by people
She also recalled being targeted while training with her sister, saying people threw stones and bottles at them in an attempt to force them to quit. “I sometimes had a big stone thrown at my head. People were throwing bottles at me. They were trying to make us go home by being aggressive and attacking us,” she said.
Hashimi fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and is now based in Italy, where she and Yulduz continued their cycling careers. The sisters represented Afghanistan at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hashimi has said her participation in international competition represents more than her own sporting ambitions.
“For me it’s not just about my performance but showing my country a woman in this situation. We are still alive and still fighting,” she said.
After winning silver in Japan, Hashimi expressed hope that future generations of Afghan women would be able to compete internationally without facing the obstacles she encountered.
“I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear,” she said.
