Afghan Cyclist Hashimi Finishes Seventh After Fleeing Taliban Rule

Fariba Hashimi finished seventh in the women's individual time trial at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Sept. 20. The 23-year-old from Faryab fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and settled in Italy with help from 1997 world champion Alessandra Cappellotto. She followed sister Yulduz into cycling at 15; both raced at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Hashimi said she "always dressed as a man to go to training, wearing two or three different masks so people would not recognise or attack me." She said, "I sometimes had a big stone thrown at my head. People were throwing bottles at me." She said: "For me it's not just about my performance but showing my country a woman in this situation. We are still alive and still fighting." She hopes the next generation can compete from inside the country and said, "It is sad that I can't live in my country." The record is a single Reuters wire carried by center- and right-rated outlets; no left-rated coverage is listed and no outlet-differentiated framing appears. Contested: none found.