It was only in the recent past that women broke all the shackles that wrongly adjudicated them from doing certain activities that they adored and bring about self enhancement to enliven their potential so that they could be on par with men to carry out similar duties with greater perfection. Recently, Saudi Arabia lifted the restriction on women to drive cars which had their hearts exalt. While that was a radical direction away from the principles of the region, here is the first Saudi woman who has qualified for a Speed Bikes Competition license.
Meet Dania Akeel, who shattered all the ramparts through participating in the international rally and winning accolades in the ambit of racing to make her nation proud. She is the maiden Saudi-Arabian woman to have received such a prestigious recognition for her outstanding talent and the awards that she brought home with herself. Coincidentally, this recognition of ‘Real Heroes’ by the value fashion and homeware brand, RedTag comes as KSA celebrates its 91st National Day.
Such initiative by the indigenous brand commemorates talent, leaders and revolutionists as they bring about a much needed change in the society through means of their unconventional activities and zeal with which they blaze the trail for others. It is to show that people can achieve anything that they want when their dreams are backed by cavernous amounts of hard work, innovative ideas, tenacity and dedication.
What makes it an even bigger achievement for Dania is that she aces in a field when women weren’t even allowed to get behind the wheel of a car and globetrot independently. She is the first woman from Saudi Arabia to grace the international rally event. Speaking of her achievements, she was highlighted and filled everyone with a sense of occasion and pride within themselves by striking all her opponents off at the FIA Cross Country Bajas World Cup in the T3 category preceded by securing the fourth position in the 8th round of the championship in Baja Italy.
A few make it as big as Dania especially in the most primary attempt. “Dania’s inspiring commitment to her dream, and her extraordinary achievements, are the perfect example of the dynamism that is characteristic of the new emerging KSA, as the nation’s 91st National Day draws near”, says Shehbaz Shaikh, Chief Retail Officer at REDTAG. “Our aim, with the Real Heroes initiative, is to showcase such achievers and pioneers, to inspire the next generation of Saudi youth to dream bigger and achieve fearlessly”.
However, the journey to such a high level of success wasn’t a cakewalk but a nighmare when she learnt that she had three pelvic fractures and a distorted spine during one of the events. However, rapid physical therapy bridged the way towards getting back on track i.e, racing for her.
“My message to any Saudi woman or girl is that if she has a hobby that she would like to pursue, whether in sports or any other field, she should pursue her passion, and personal growth”, Dania says. “I’ve received a lot of support throughout my journey, and I would like to thank REDTAG for making my story a part of their ‘Real Heroes’ initiative. I am positive that this will encourage other young women in Saudi to make decisions that improve their lives and empower them to follow their dreams, in any field they are interested in.” We have a lot to learn and implement from her inspirational story.
