25-year-old Masomah Ali Zada made his Olympic debut in Tokyo today.
She, from Afghanistan, rode the pace race in cycling for the refugee national team.
- Proud that I have realized my dream that I did not think was possible to achieve, says Masomah Ali Zada to NRK.
Mainly because she trains and competes in a sport that many in Afghanistan believe that only men should do.
- It's so abnormal for them.
They do not like it, and they think that women who ride bicycles go against culture and religion.
Her interest in cycling became great when she was ten years old, when the family moved back to Afghanistan from Iran.
At first, only a few girls cycled, but in a short time, the 15 were able to train together.
- We tried to normalize cycling, and became more, but became fewer when there was anxiety.
How much we trained depended on how safe the country was.
In the Olympic debut and the speed race, Zada finished last, where the Dutchwoman Annemiek van Vleuten won the gold.