‘If boys can do it, so can girls.’
This has been the message that breaking star Manizha Talash relayed to herself over and over again.
From the very first time she discovered breaking, the 21-year-old has been determined to shatter glass ceilings and prove that girls can do anything.
“I saw a video of a boy flipping overhead [and] at first I thought it wasn’t real, but then I looked for more videos,” the B-Girl told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.
“They [back in her homeland] always tell you that you are a girl and can’t do something – but when I was with this team, they never told me that you can’t because you are a girl, I was always told ‘you can’.”
From going to the gym and beginning to train in the sport, breaking became an outlet for her.
“It helps me when I’m training in breaking, I can’t think about problems or bad things.
“I’m always thinking about how I can improve myself, I like that a lot.”
Despite the joy she finds in doing what she loves, the path to getting here has been far from easy.
Representing millions of displaced people as a member of the IOC Refugee Team at Paris 2024, Talash’s story is one of resilience and hope.
For her, being at the Games already makes her a winner, regardless of what happens.
The most important thing is to express her powerful message: “I want to say who I am, where I’m from and I want to express art, culture, sport, that women are strong… and peace.”
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