Aiming the gold medal again

There is a friend from Kabul, Fahima, who lives near the Islamabad office. She is a Hazara, who had been on exile in Pakistan with her parents, brothers, and sisters during the Taliban regime. After the collapse of the regime, she returned to Kabul and spent her time there until high school. Her father is running a catering business in Kabul.

Though Fahima looks slim and graceful, she’s actually a black belt Judo athlete. Four years ago, having won a gold medal at an international championship, she was told by President Karzai that he would grant her one of her wishes. She requested for a gym where she could practice Judo, and he promised to have it realized in four months. However, four years have passed, and there is still no Judo gym.

I met Fahima at a special muscle training class where a lot of humanitarian workers in Islamabad attend. Since women are not allowed to go outside due to security reasons, many women come to the gym two to three times a week to maintain their physical strength. Among them, Fahima comes in almost everyday since 2009 to build her stamina. She regularly goes to a gym in Lahore and receives guidance from a Judo expert who was trained in Japan.

Fahima continues to dedicate herself to her daily trainings with a goal to enter and win the gold metal at the Judo championship in the near future as an Afghan national player.