Chateauroux (France), Jul 26 (PTI) Olympics is all about triumph of human resilience and Afghan break-dancer Manizha Talash embodies this spirit. It's been three years since she fled the Taliban and is now all set to perform gravity-defying moves when break-dancing makes its Olympic debut in Paris. The 21-year-old Talash crossed the border into Pakistan after Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 before settling in Spain as a refugee the following year.
Despite the existential crisis that was brought upon her and her family, Talash did not give up on break-dancing, an art form she stumbled upon while scrolling through a social media post as a teenager in Kabul. She has been in love with it ever since. However, not even in her wildest imagination, she thought that the hobby she picked up in her troubled homeland will make way to the biggest sporting spectacle on earth.
The International Olympics Committee changed Talash's life forever by including her in its refugee squad for the Paris Games. She still vividly remembers the days when she trained with the boys in a discreet break-dancing club in Kabul. The club also became a target of multiple bombings in a land where basic human rights of women are not respected and they are not allowed to pursue higher education.
Break-dancing has been added to the Olympic program to attract more youth and there are not many better than Talash to promote the new entrant. "I am living my dream. I never imagined that it could be so beautifu.