Afghanistan’s Fariba Hashimi wins Asian Games road-race silver
Fariba Hashimi took women’s road-race silver at the Asian Games on September 22, 2026, and said she hoped her achievement would encourage other Afghan women.
In short
- Fariba Hashimi took women’s road-race silver at the Asian Games on September 22, 2026, and said she hoped her achievement would encourage other Afghan women.
Afghanistan’s Fariba Hashimi won silver in the women’s road race at the Asian Games near Nagoya, Japan, on September 22, 2026, according to The Guardian. The result gave the Italy-based cyclist a platform to speak about the obstacles facing women who want to compete in sport.
Hashimi, 23, said she hoped her achievement would encourage other women and allow a future generation to represent Afghanistan without fear. She recalled being attacked with stones and disguising herself as a man when she began cycling as a teenager with her sister.
She left Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with help from Italian former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, and now lives and trains in Italy. Hashimi and her sister both competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The silver also came amid practical difficulties. Hashimi said she had been maintaining and cleaning her own bicycle at the Games and thanked the Japanese team for helping repair it. She said she intended to continue pursuing her ambitions with the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 ahead.
