Fariba Hashimi: From fleeing the Taliban to an Asian Games silver medal

Fariba Hashimi's journey to the Asian Games podium began with a bicycle she could barely ride and a need to hide who she was. On Tuesday, the 23-year-old won silver in the women's individual road race in Aichi-Nagoya, becoming Afghanistan's first female Asian Games medallist since 2002.

Hashimi had finished seventh in the women's time trial on Sunday, but the road race delivered the result she had come to the Games chasing. Speaking after the race, the Paris 2024 Olympian reflected on finally standing on the podium while representing a country she was forced to leave five years ago.

“I came to the Asian Games dreaming about standing on the podium and representing my country. I can't explain my feelings now.”

The significance of the medal goes back to Hashimi's teenage years in Faryab, a remote province in northern Afghanistan. She and her sister Yulduz took up cycling in 2017, but had to conceal their identities while training and racing because women riding bicycles publicly was not accepted in their community.

“This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women,” Hashimi said.

“I'm not alone. I know that behind me are millions of women, from many countries, who have the same dream. They are standing with me.”

The sisters' secret races eventually attracted attention and the hostility became more severe. They faced stones, bottles and abuse while riding, and Yulduz once suffered a broken wrist after a rickshaw driver rammed into her. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the sisters left Afghanistan and eventually settled in Italy, where they continued their cycling careers.

Hashimi was 15 when she and Yulduz first saw an advertisement for a local cycling race. Neither had ever ridden a bicycle, so they borrowed one from a neighbour and spent a few hours learning before entering.

Fariba won that first race and Yulduz finished second. “I felt like a bird who could fly. It felt amazing,” Fariba later told the BBC.

The sisters continued riding secretly, using headscarves, masks and sunglasses to conceal themselves and, at times, false identities. Hashimi later told Reuters that she would dress as a man to train.

Their talent eventually took them beyond those hidden races. The sisters were invited into Afghanistan's national women's cycling team in 2020, but the Taliban's return to power a year later changed their circumstances. They were among the Afghan cyclists who left the country, with help from former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, and began rebuilding their careers in Italy.

Fariba won the Afghan national championship in 2022 and later became the first Afghan woman to win a UCI race. She and Yulduz went on to represent Afghanistan at the Paris 2024 Olympics.A PODIUM FOR AFGHAN WOMEN

Hashimi's journey has also meant living away from her family. She has spoken about the difficulty of being separated from her mother and siblings, but has continued to compete internationally while using her platform to speak about the rights and aspirations of Afghan women.

“To follow my dream, I escaped from the stones of the people. I never thought I would be a refugee.”

“All of those stones they threw at me gave me power to fight for my freedom.”

The Asian Games silver now gives Hashimi another major milestone after the Olympics, national title and UCI victory. It also comes at a time when opportunities for Afghan women in sport remain severely restricted, making her presence on an international podium particularly significant for a country whose female athletes have increasingly had to build their careers outside it.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 14:53 IST