An Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man to pursue her sporting dreams has won an Asian Games silver medal, hoping it inspires other women in a country where Taliban authorities have sharply curtailed their freedoms. Italy-based Fariba Hashimi powered home second in the women’s road race near Nagoya in Japan on Tuesday, calling the triumph “something special”. She and her sister competed at the Paris Olympics two years ago, and the 2028 Los Angeles Games are now looming into view.
Hashimi reserved a special thanks for the Japanese team for playing a part in her silver medal. We brought one guy with us from the national federation, and he just drove the car,” she said. I was the mechanic for myself.
I was washing the bike myself. They were really, really nice to me [and] fixed my bike.”
Extract — continue reading at the source.
