Fariba Hashimi has won a silver medal in the women’s road race, becoming Afghanistan’s first female Asian Games medalist in more than two decades.
Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi has won a silver medal at the Asian Games, capping a remarkable journey in the sport. The 23-year-old finished second in the women’s individual road race held near Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday, September 22.
The result made history for her country. Hashimi became Afghanistan’s first female medalist at the Asian Games since 2002, ending a gap of more than 20 years. She completed the race in a time of 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 5 seconds, finishing behind China’s Guo Li, who took gold, and ahead of Hong Kong’s Leung Wing Yee in third.
Standing on the podium, Hashimi spoke about what the achievement meant to her. According to Al Jazeera, she described the moment as something special and said she could not fully explain her feelings. She had arrived at the Games dreaming of standing on the podium and representing her country, a goal she has now realized.
Fariba Hashimi’s Difficult Road to the Podium
Hashimi’s path into cycling was anything but ordinary. She comes from Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, a remote and conservative area where the idea of women riding bicycles was almost unheard of. She first rode a bike less than a decade ago, in 2017, after spotting an advertisement for a local race alongside her older sister, Yulduz.
Neither sister owned a bicycle or knew how to ride. They borrowed bikes from neighbors, spent a few hours learning, and entered the race anyway. That leap marked the beginning of a rise that few could have predicted at the time.
Training, however, came with serious challenges. Hashimi has said she often dressed as a man to travel to practice, wearing headscarves, masks, and sunglasses so she would not be recognized. She recalled being targeted at times, which made hiding her identity a matter of safety as much as convenience. Despite those obstacles, she and her sister kept training and competing.
Hashimi’s career accelerated quickly once she gained access to international competition. She won the Afghan national road race championships in 2022, an event held in Switzerland, and later became the first Afghan cyclist to win an international UCI race. Along with Yulduz, who is also now a professional cyclist, she competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
She now lives and trains in Italy, having relocated there with the support of former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto. That base has allowed her to build a professional career and compete at the highest levels of the sport.
Her silver medal in Japan came under difficult circumstances. Hashimi noted that she had traveled to the Games with minimal support, saying she competed without a dedicated mechanic and handled much of the bike maintenance herself. She offered particular thanks to the Japanese team for helping her during the event.
Hashimi framed the achievement as bigger than herself, saying the medal reflects the resilience of many women who share the same dreams. She also looked ahead to the future, expressing hope of continuing her career and competing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Her story, built on persistence and an unlikely start, has already made her one of Afghanistan’s most recognizable athletes on the world stage.
