Story of Tahmina Kohistani, Afghani Athlete

 Her Sprint Against Prejudice

Tahmina Kohistani is a talented athlete from Afghanistan who was the only female athlete representing Afghanistan in the 2012 London Olympics. Born on 18th June 1989 in Kapisa, Afghanistan, the age of Tahmina Kohistani is 33 years.

While discussing about Tahmina Kohistani we can easily come to know that she ran her personal best of 14.42 seconds in the heats of the 100 metres at the 2012 London Olympics but couldn’t qualify to the first round.

Her previous best  at the 100 metres was 15.00  seconds, which she achieved at a competition held in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 2008.

Though seen in the yardstick of champion athletes of developed western countries this feat may not seem amazing but it is, considering the fact that she participated in Olympics from a country where women’s rights and their freedom to excel in their chosen field are being regularly subjugated.

By participating in the 2012 London Olympics, she achieved the distinction of being only the third Olympic track athlete from Afghanistan. As an athlete Tahmina Kohistani had to not only race in the track but also had to race against the highly conservative or rather archaic notions of sections of the Afghan society towards women. Any good biography of Tahmina Kohistani should highlight her struggle against societal pressures.

One can hope that her feat would inspire many Afghan women to take up sports in a serious manner. She also talked about her interest in inspiring Afghan girls to take up sport.

Tahmina Kohistani said that she did overcome lots of prejudice and hostility to reach the Olympics.

After her participation in the Olympics, she candidly voiced about the fierce opposition to her participation in sports from conservative sections of Afghan society, in her home city of Kabul. Tahmina Kohistani often had to endure heckling during her training for the Olympics.

She also narrated an incident when a taxi driver in Kabul asked her to get out of his cab when she told him that she was an athlete and wanted to participate in the London Olympics. Training facilities that she received for her Olympics preparation was also not adequate.

Instead of donning the usual attire of athletes, she competed in the 100 metres heat at the 2012 London Olympics in a black head scarf, which was topped with Afghanistan’s other national colours of red and green, a long-sleeved light blue top and a pair of trousers.

Tahmina Kohistani was selected as one of BBC’s 100 Women in 2015.

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