Fariba Hashimi learned to ride a bike in secret. The 23-year-old Afghan cyclist said she was pelted with stones while training in Afghanistan in the early years of her career. To keep cycling, she had to disguise herself as a man.
Near Nagoya, Japan, she finished second in the Asian Games road race and took home the silver, behind China’s Li Guo. “I can’t explain how I feel right now”, she said after the race. She then summed up the struggle behind that medal: “I was born in a country where women who dream are attacked, and I’m very happy to have fought against that”.
Hashimi hopes her medal will help other young Afghan women imagine a future in sports. “I hope the next generation can come here and represent their country without any fear”, she said.
