Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi, who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban's return to power, won silver in the women's road race at the Asian Games.
The 23-year-old finished behind China's Guo Li. She had earlier finished seventh in the women's time trial at the Games in Nagoya, Japan.
Hashimi said she had to disguise herself as a man during training for her own safety and was attacked with stones and bottles in her early years in the sport. She escaped Afghanistan alongside her sister, fellow professional cyclist Yulduz, after the Taliban retook control in 2021. The sisters, from Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, fled to Italy, where they are now based, and competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
She said: "I can't explain my feelings now. I was born inside a country where the women who dream are getting attacked, and I'm really happy that I have fought against that."
Hashimi added: "I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear."
She said the silver medal could show "a lot of resilience from Afghan women", adding: "I'm not alone, I know that behind me millions of women, from many countries, have the same dream and they are standing with me."
Hashimi, who did not have a mechanic with her at the Games, thanked the Japanese team for their help. She said: "We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was the mechanic for myself. I was washing the bike myself. Thank you to the Japanese team. They were really, really nice to me, fixed my bike."
She hopes to compete at the LA Olympics in 2028, saying: "I never want to give up and hopefully we can see [what can happen] again in Los Angeles."