Saudi female rider breaks stereotypes, wins T3 title

Dania leading in a competition

RIYADH: Saudi rider Dania Akeel has made history by becoming the first Arab woman to win the T3 title at the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas event.

Dania’s outstanding achievement and remarkable comeback from a serious injury suffered earlier this year prompted the Saudi sports minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al Faysal to congratulate her on her achievement, calling her “our hero.” In his tweet.

Dania first took part in the competition at the Sharqiyah Baja 2021, the third round of the World Cup, under the supervision of the FIA and the Saudi Arabia Motor Federation, according to Saudi media.

Dania told Saudi daily Arab News that despite sustaining three pelvic fractures while participating in the Bahrain Rally Season, she was still planning to compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally that will take place in Saudi Arabia next January.

“Last season, in March 2020, I suffered an accident and sustained three pelvic fractures, affecting my spine in Bahrain. It forced me to return to Saudi Arabia to undergo medical tests and physical therapy,” she said.

Dania has a history with breakthroughs.

In 2019, she became the first Saudi female to receive a Speed Bikes Competition license after applying through the Saudi Arabian Motorsport Federation.

Women have come a long way thanks to a drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to overhaul society and empower women politically, socially, economically and across all area in line with the 2030 vision, a transformative economic and social reform blueprint to open up Saudi Arabia up to the world, enriching the lives of Saudis.