Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: It is said that the impossible can be achieved through sheer willpower. A shining example of this is Afghan female cyclist Fariba Hashimi. It would not be too much to say Escape to Victory, overcoming all obstacles and ignoring the glare of the Taliban regime, Fariba used her mental strength and perseverance to win silver in the women's cycling road race at the 2026 Aichi Nagoya Asian Games. Which is no less an achievement than winning gold. The reason is that under the Taliban regime, it would have been difficult to survive, let alone play sports, if Fariba Hashimi had not fled the country in 2021.
23-year-old Fariba now lives in Italy. She and her sister managed to escape from Afghanistan without the Taliban's attention with the help of Alessandra Cappellotto, the former Italian world champion in road cycling in 1997. Because of her, she and her sister Yaldus were able to take refuge in the Veneto region on a special plane sent by the Italian government. Later, Fariba started training with Alessandra in Italy. And using that opportunity, she fulfilled her dream by winning silver at the Asian Games in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture. Fariba narrowly missed out on gold, losing to China's Li Guowei. However, both took 2 hours, 50 minutes and 5 seconds to finish the race. Hong Kong's Leung Wing Yi won the bronze medal, finishing the race 41 seconds later. Fariba first achieved success in a cycling race in 2017. That journey, or rather, the race, has now been completed by winning a medal at the Asian Games.
However, this success was not easy at all. In Fariba's words, "I can't describe the joy of winning this silver medal. And its value is immeasurable. I started cycling in Afghanistan at the age of 15, amidst many obstacles and restrictions. I didn't have my own bicycle. I started training by borrowing from others. I would go out to practice cycling with my sister Yalduze on the road, covering my face. Dressed in men's clothes. So that no one would recognize me. Even then, I would get caught sometimes. People would throw stones at both of us, so that we would not cycle and stay at home. Once, a rickshaw puller hit my sister's bicycle. My sister's wrist was broken. Our father once said to us before a cycling race, "Look, race carefully. Don't let anyone kill you. Maybe someone could have killed you." We were born in a country where it is considered a crime for girls to even dream, let alone fulfill their dreams. After the Taliban took over the country in 2021, it was difficult to even survive, let alone cycle. I was able to win the silver medal at the Asian Games today because I was able to leave the country in time. I had to make a lot of sacrifices for this. I am far away from my mother. Apart from my mother, I miss my brothers and sisters very much. So I cannot express the feeling of this victory in words. I do not think it is only an inspiration for the women of Afghanistan, but I see it as a fight for women's freedom all over the world.'
Fariba and her sister also participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now they have their eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Fariba is optimistic that something good awaits them in Los Angeles.