Now at 21, Shams is a champion squash player, placing 129th in the world. For a year she was part of the Boys’ National Under-15 Cricket team, much of it as vice-captain. She made her way to junior Olympics in 2008 as a cyclist.Īt 15, she wanted to play cricket and so disguised herself as a boy. Her father eventually found out and rather than being angry with her, and he made sure she received training. When she was 11 years old, Shams would sneak outside her family compound in a remote village in Pakistan and ride around, hoping to improve her cycling technique. Shams’ push to participate and excel in sports as well as advocate for human rights, has had her taking chances and using a bit of subterfuge to achieve her goals.

“I have been a cyclist, a cricketer and a world-ranked squash player for my country, and I am very, very proud to be a human rights activist,” she said. For Noorena Shams, the quest for excellence in her chosen sports has mirrored her quest to improve the perception and promote the strength of women and girls in her native Pakistan.

Only the brave in spanish