"I am living my dream" - Break-dancer Manizha Talash elated after being included in the Paris Olympics 2024 refugee team

Break Dance is all set to debut in the prestigious Paris Olympics 2024 and will witness Afghanistan's skilled break-dancer Manizha Talash among the contingent. Her rise from fleeing the Taliban to performing on the Olympic platform at the age of 21 depicts her never-to-die spirit.

After a challenging journey, Manizha received the good news from the International Olympic Committee that she would be part of its refugee squad for the Paris Games. She remembers training in a secretive break-dancing club in Kabul with boys; the place was bombed several times in a country where women are often denied basic rights.

In an interview with Press Trust of India (PTI) in France ahead of the tournament, the 21-year-old discussed her obstacle-filled journey. Three years ago, she crossed into Pakistan following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and resettled in Spain as a refugee.

Through it all, Manizha Talash remained steadfast to her first love—breakdancing, which she found in the form of a social media post as a teenager in Kabul. Little did she know that her hobby would one day take her to the world's biggest sporting event. She said:

"It was after Taliban that I left Afghanistan to follow my dreams. All the refugees found it a very hard way to go to another country and the same was true for me."

For breakdancing, added to the Olympics in an attempt to draw in younger viewers, Manizha is a foremost promoter. She beamed:

"I am living my dream. I never imagined that it could be so beautiful."

Notably, breakdancing makes its Olympic debut with medals for two classes: 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls.

Moreover, the young dancer, who is eager to show her moves on the international level, does not think of being a role model herself but acknowledges all Afghan women as role models for everyday struggle.

"I am grateful that I am here but I don't consider myself a role model for them. The girls who are in Afghanistan are role models for me," Manizha Talash added.

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"I feel I have progressed a lot" - Manizha Talash on her inclusion in Paris Olympics 2024 refugee team

Manizha Talash was grateful for her present position with respect to empowering Afghan women. She has already shown that she is back in business with her recent win in the Europeans, part of the refugee team for the Paris Games – which includes 36 athletes representing more than 100 million displaced people.

While comparing and contrasting the fitness workout intensity, Manizha said:

"When I was in Madrid, I trained six days a week. Here I am training every day. In a day, sometimes I do two hours of gym and then three hours of training. Since I have been included in the refugee team, I feel I have progressed a lot."

Manizha becomes the epitome and the power of a dream as her goal to represent her country is not only a medal. Instead, she wants people to understand that breakdancing is not a dance. Rather, it is a sport, an art, and a culture.

"For me winning the medal or competition is not very important. I just want to prove to people in Afghanistan that break-dancing is not only dancing but it is a sport," Manizha Talash added.