Manizha Talash

Biography Talash was born in 2002 and grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. She first discovered breakdancing at age 17 through a Facebook video. She said that "When I saw a video online of a man just spinning over his head ... I immediately told myself: 'That's what I want to do with my life! She was able to get in contact with the man in the video and joined a breakdancing club in Kabul, called Superiors Crew, where she was one of 56 members and the only girl.

Talash was described by media sources as "Afghanistan's first female breakdancer", and she faced challenges as breakdancing is viewed negatively by many in Afghanistan. She continued breakdancing despite receiving opposition from her family and a number of death threats; her club was the target of bombings three times, with two going off and causing multiple deaths. The third was an attempted suicide bombing that was stopped by the police. She lost the round 0–3 to India Sardjoe from the Netherlands, before the result was updated to her being disqualified for displaying a political slogan, which is a violation of rule 50 of the Olympic Charter. Talash stated that she intended to take legal action against the IOC over her disqualification because she said her message was not political, but rather "about human rights, freedom and gender equality". Her lawyers stated that a formal complaint would first be lodged through the World DanceSport Federation, and, depending on the outcome, they could take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Personal life Talash learned Spanish after moving to Madrid in 2022. Her mother, who had been living in Afghanistan, moved to Spain to rejoin Talash and her brother in 2024. Talash enjoys dyeing her hair and she produced a streetwear fashion line inspired by traditional Afghan designs.