Fariba Hashimi wins silver at Asian Games for Afghanistan

Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi won the silver medal in the women’s road race at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Japan on September 22. Her achievement marks the first medal won by an Afghan woman at the Asian Games since 2002.

Hashimi, 23, shared that she previously had to disguise herself as a man and hide her face to train in her home province of Faryab, Afghanistan. During her early training, she and her sister, Yulduz, faced harassment, including being pelted with stones and bottles.

Following the Taliban's return to power in 2021, the sisters fled Afghanistan and settled in Italy, where they have continued their professional cycling careers. Hashimi, a 2024 Paris Olympian, expressed hope that her success will inspire future generations of Afghan women to represent their country without fear.