Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has congratulated Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashemi on winning a silver medal at the Asian Games, wishing her and other female Afghan athletes continued success.
On Wednesday, September 23, Mr. Karzai praised Hashemi’s achievement in a message posted on the social media platform X, extending his wishes for further success to the Afghan athlete and other sportspeople from the country.
Fariba Hashemi, 23, who currently resides in Italy, won the silver medal after finishing second in the women’s cycling competition in Nagoya, Japan. Following her achievement, Hashemi described the accomplishment as a “special feeling.”
Earlier, Hashemi had also finished seventh in the individual time trial event at the Asian Games.
Now living in Italy, Hashemi previously trained in Faryab while wearing men’s clothing in order to continue pursuing her sporting career. She has spoken about the challenges of practicing sport in Afghanistan, saying that she had endured difficult times but did not hold the Afghan people responsible. She emphasized that differing views within society had made it difficult for women to participate in sports.
Writer:Roya Stanikzai
