Fariba Hashimi wins Asian Games road race silver in Aichi-Nagoya

On Tuesday Fariba Hashimi, a 23-year-old cyclist, took silver in the women's individual road race at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, becoming Afghanistan's first female Asian Games medallist since 2002.

Hashimi arrived at the Games after finishing seventh in the women's time trial on Sunday and had targeted a podium in the road race. She told reporters: “I came to the Asian Games dreaming about standing on the podium and representing my country. I can't explain my feelings now.”

Her route to international medals began in Faryab province, where she and her sister Yulduz first took up cycling in 2017 despite little experience and social resistance. The sisters borrowed a neighbour's bicycle, taught themselves to ride over a few hours and entered a local race in which Fariba won and Yulduz was second; Fariba later said, “I felt like a bird who could fly. It felt amazing.”

Training and competing in Afghanistan required secrecy; the sisters concealed their identities with headscarves, masks and sunglasses and sometimes used false names. Hashimi later told Reuters she would dress as a man to train.

Their rides drew hostility that escalated over time, with the pair facing stones, bottles and verbal abuse while cycling. The article reports that 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 settled in Italy, where they rebuilt their careers with assistance from former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto. Fariba won the Afghan national championship in 2022, became the first Afghan woman to win a UCI race and the siblings went on to represent Afghanistan at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Hashimi has spoken publicly about the personal cost of pursuing her sport while separated from family, saying: “To follow my dream, I escaped from the stones of the people. I never thought I would be a refugee.” She added, “All of those stones they threw at me gave me power to fight for my freedom.” The Asian Games silver adds to her Olympic appearance, national title and UCI victory.

The medal arrives amid continued restrictions on opportunities for Afghan women in sport, and the report notes Hashimi's podium presence is notable for a country whose female athletes have increasingly had to build their careers outside Afghanistan.