{"id":13771,"date":"2012-08-03T18:08:36","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T18:08:36","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2012-08-03T18:08:08","modified_gmt":"2012-08-03T18:08:08","slug":"Afghan-female-sprinter-breaks-personal-best-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=13771","title":{"rendered":"Afghan female sprinter breaks personal best record"},"content":{"rendered":"

Afghanistan’s only female athlete urged her fellow countrywomen to “come and join” her at the next Olympics after she set a personal best in the London Games 100m heats on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tahmina Kohistani<\/strong>, who has overcome prejudice and huge difficulties to reach the Games, trailed in last in 14.42sec — the day’s slowest time by nearly half-a-second.<\/p>\n

However, she was overjoyed to run her best ever time in front of a packed Olympic Stadium. And she said more women should take up sport in Afghanistan, where such activities are often strongly opposed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I have a big message for the women of Afghanistan. Come and join me because I’m alone and I need your support,” Kohistani said.<\/p>\n

“And we must be ready for the next Olympics. We should have more than one girl in the next Olympics.”<\/p>\n

Kohistani, dressed in a black headscarf topped with Afghanistan’s other national colors of red and green, and a long-sleeved, light blue top with long trousers, missed the next round’s qualifying time by a distance.<\/p>\n

But she said her mere involvement in the Games would inspire other women in her war-ravaged, deeply conservative homeland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I think when I’m here it’s a big reason for the other athletes of Afghanistan,” she said. “It makes them ready for the next Olympics and when I go back I’m going to have a lot of messages for them.<\/p>\n

“And I’m going to say for all women of Afghanistan to join me, and I’m ready to say welcome and I’m ready to help you, and we should make a network for women’s sport in our country.”<\/p>\n

Kohistani comes from a country with few training facilities, and where many people are openly hostile to women playing sport.<\/p>\n