Two sisters, two bicycles, a common dream that finally gave them the greatest gift – freedom. Yulduz and Fariba Hashimi were born in one of the most remote and conservative provinces Afghanistanwhere restrictions on women remained within strict limits, despite the fact that Taliban at that time he was not in power. So the two girls on a bike were far from everyday reality in the province of Faryab in the north of the country bordering Turkmenistan.

At some point in 2017, two girls, then aged 14 and 17, noticed an advertisement for a local bike race and, without hesitation, secretly entered from the family. Of course, apart from the problem of being accepted into the race because of their gender, there was another problem they had to overcome. They’ve never ridden a bike in their lives!

A neighbor offered to give them his, and after several hours of alternating practice, they managed to make the first orthopetals. Practice continued and race day arrived. Yulduz and Fariba gave false names, while wearing large baggy clothes, large scarves and sunglasses so that the locals could not recognize them. They took first and second places respectively, and this gave them the opportunity to participate in other races. “It was amazing. I felt like a bird that could fly,” Fariba told the BBC a few years after her first amateur match.

The girls continued to participate in small races but also kept it a secret from their family. Until they were “given away” by some of their photographs published in the local media. Although at first they were tried to be stopped, they eventually resigned themselves to the idea and sided with them.

Of course, the path they chose in life was not easy, as bullying from school to the street was a daily occurrence. However, their rate was upward, until August 2021. when everything went dark again with the return of the Taliban to power. Women in Afghanistan suddenly lost the few rights they had won, and Yulduz and Fatiba realized it was time to leave the country.

Their connection to the outside world was the Italian world champion Alessandra Cappelotto, whom they met when she visited Kabul in 2021. Through her contacts, she contacted the Foreign Office and the United Nations and managed to arrange the escape of the two girls. a flight organized from the Afghan capital by the Italian government. They left, leaving their family behind, not knowing if they would ever be reunited with them.

Their new home was a small town in northern Italy. Capeloto helped them find a home and a job and start Italian lessons. They have new professional bikes and a trainer. Now it was more difficult to get used to training in the rain, as well as on the roads with cars. They joined Valcar’s Italian cycling team, but their superb presence on the team brought them to the attention of Tech-Roland’s Swiss Israeli premier. The next and toughest target is the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last December, the IOC warned the Taliban government that Afghanistan would have no place at the Games unless women and girls were allowed safe access to sports, which is considered unlikely.

If nothing changes, the most likely scenario is that Yulduz and Fariba Hashimi will participate in the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, as Afghan cyclist Masomah Ali Zada ​​did in the Games Tokyo.

But Fariba and Yulduz want to represent their country.

“I want to raise the flag of Afghanistan. I want my father and mother to see me and feel proud. This is also my big dream,” says Yulduz, adding: “When the Taliban came, my dream was dying. But Italy gave me another hope.”

The two girls know that the sacrifice they made in leaving those they love was enormous. Through their favorite sport, they want to prove to everyone that in the end this sacrifice was worth it…

Source: BBC Sports