Fariba Hashimi wins Asian Games silver after training disguised as a man in Afghanistan

A silver medal on the Aichi-Nagoya road course

Fariba Hashimi, a 23-year-old Afghan cyclist based in Italy, won the silver medal in the women's road race at the 20th Asian Games, held on the Shinshiro Cycling Road Course in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday. China's Guo Li took gold, and Hong Kong's Leung Wing Yee claimed bronze. Hashimi completed the course behind the winner, finishing second in the road race final and stepping onto the podium with her teammates Yulduz Hashimi and Zahra Rezayee for the victory ceremony.

From covert training in Faryab to the international stage

Hashimi took up cycling at 15 alongside her older sister Yulduz in Faryab province, where she said she was forced to disguise herself as a man to reach 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," she told reporters. She also described being pelted with stones and bottles while riding with her sister: "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."

Exile in Italy and a return to competition

Hashimi left Afghanistan after the Taliban's return to power in 2021, relocating with the help of Italian former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, and now lives and trains in Italy. The sisters represented Afghanistan at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At these Asian Games, Hashimi had already finished seventh in the women's individual time trial on Sunday, completing the 24.2-kilometre course two minutes and three seconds behind gold medalist Rinata Sultanova of Kazakhstan.

A medal framed as a message for Afghan women

Hashimi cast the result as a statement for women in Afghanistan, where Taliban authorities have restricted women's access to education, employment and public life, including sport. "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 said. "This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women." She added: "I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear," and said she hoped future Afghan cyclists would be able to compete from inside the country.

Recognition from the host team

Hashimi, who arrived at the Games with a small delegation, paid tribute to the Japanese team for their assistance in the pit area. "I'm here without a mechanic, without any preparation. We brought one guy with us from the national federation, and he just drove the car," she said. "We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was washing the bike myself. Thank you to the Japanese team. They were really, really nice to me, fixed my bike."

Looking ahead

Hashimi said she is targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as her next major milestone, telling reporters, "I never want to give up and hopefully we can see (what can happen) again in Los Angeles."