Fariba Hashimi used to pin her hair under a helmet, borrow her brother's clothes, and pedal through Herat pretending to be a boy so no one would stop her from riding a bike. On September 22, 2026, she crossed the finish line of the Asian Games women's road race in second place, no disguise required.

  • 23 years old, born in Afghanistan's Faryab province, now based in Italy
  • 2nd place in the women's road race near Nagoya, Japan
  • 2021 the year the Taliban returned to power and she fled the country
  • 2 Hashimi sisters racing as professionals — Fariba and Yulduz

Training in Disguise

Hashimi started cycling as a teenager, at a time when riding a bike as a girl in Afghanistan could draw stones, insults, or worse. She and her sister Yulduz trained in men's clothing to avoid harassment, sneaking in laps before anyone noticed two girls on racing bikes.

"They took away our freedom, they took away everything from us," Hashimi said of the Taliban, who returned to power in 2021 and have since barred women and girls from sport, most public life, and education beyond primary school.

With the help of former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, Hashimi and her sister got out of Afghanistan and resettled in Italy, where they now live and train full-time with the UCI Women's WorldTeam Ceratizit-Vini Fantini.

A Silver With a Message

The Asian Games race near Nagoya wasn't a comfortable ride for a well-funded team. Hashimi said she traveled without her own mechanic and fixed her own bike before the race — a detail she made a point of crediting to the host nation.

"Thank you to the Japanese team. They were really, really nice to me, fixed my bike," she said afterward, before turning to what the medal meant beyond the results sheet.

"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."

Hashimi and her sister already raced at the Paris Olympics in 2024, becoming two of the most visible Afghan women in international sport since the Taliban's return. The silver medal near Nagoya extends that streak on a bigger stage, in a country, Japan, that has become an unlikely second home for her season.

What Comes Next

Hashimi says she's not done climbing the podium. The next Olympic cycle points to Los Angeles in 2028, and she's already framing this medal as a checkpoint rather than a finish line.

"I never want to give up and hopefully we can see [what can happen] again in Los Angeles," she said.

For now, she's using the moment to speak directly to girls still living under the restrictions she escaped. "I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear," she said. "I'm not alone, I know that behind me millions of women, from many countries, have the same dream and they are standing with me."

Full results and reporting from the race are available via The Guardian's coverage of the Asian Games road race and Al Jazeera's report on the medal. Hashimi races next for Ceratizit-Vini Fantini on the European circuit before turning her attention to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic qualification path.