Dhaka, Sept. 23 -- Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi, who once dressed as a man to train in secret, has won a silver medal in the women's road race at the Asian Games in Japan, the BBC reports.

The 23-year-old fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. She said she had disguised herself during training to avoid being recognised or attacked.

"I always dressed as a man to go to training, wearing two or three different masks so people would not recognise or attack me," Hashimi previously told Reuters.

Hashimi, who finished seventh in the women's individual time trial on Sunday, described her silver medal as "something special", per cited in the BBC report. She said she hoped it would inspire women in Afghanistan to pursue t...