Inspiring Olympic story: Afghan refugee races in women's time trial

[fiamme red]

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mas...okyo-olympics/

"It was so, so good, my first time trial, my first Olympic Games. As a first experience, I'm so happy with it because I worked for it and I tried to use all the sacrifice from several months. I don't have any regrets," Ali Zada said following her completion of the time trial event at the Fuji International Speedway.

"I'm so happy to represent the Refugee Olympic Team because I will send a message of hope and peace for 82 million people who are obliged to leave their country because of different reasons," Ali Zada said...

https://www.theguardian.com/global-d...somah-ali-zada

Habibzai, 24, fell in love with cycling aged nine, when, as a child growing up in the restive south-eastern province of Ghazni, she somehow managed to learn to ride and found “it gave me a very nice feeling that I am quite free, as if I have wings to fly, as if I have no fear on this earth.”

“It gave me, I can say, the food to my soul. Ever since then biking became a part of my life,” she says.

The elders in her family, who moved to Kabul in 2012, were reluctant at first, out of concerns for her safety. Such fears are understandable: female cyclists face both verbal and physical harassment every time they go out. “The men, especially those who saw us for the very first time, they would throw stones at us, they would hit us [with] their cars,” recalls Habibzai.

[rustychisel]

Thank you for sharing, an exceptional story.

Afghani women are (without exception) stoic and calm and intelligent and...
I'm teaching one at present, having taught many over the last 10 years. She is wonderful.

[rain dogs]

cyclingtips also has the story with a link to the short doc on youtube about those girls from 6 years ago.

Amazing story. Amazing courage. I'm mostly happy (but also...) to see that she is studying in Lille and doesn't have to risk her life to ride her bike.

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/07/firs...olympic-dream/

[reuben]

I hate - really hate - oppression and repression. You go ladies. You go.

[soulspinner]

Cool stuff.