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- First Saudi woman gets autocross trainer license
First Saudi woman gets autocross trainer license
Afnan Almarglani took part in Saudi Arabia’s first women’s race
Afnan Almarglani became the first Saudi woman to obtain an autocross and safe driving skills trainer license.
Almarglani, who is a biomedical engineer, works as a project manager at Saudi Arabia's Health Ministry, according to local daily Arab News. She previously took part in the country’s first women’s autocross championship and won second place in the qualifying round. Almarglani later participated in various autocross championships in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar.
“After gaining experience and skills, I moved to a higher level in the autocross racing, which enabled me to take part in the Toyota Autocross Championship in Alkhobar, and I was able to win the best time in the women’s category,” Almarglani was quoted as saying.
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She added that her passion for motorsports began when her older brother who was interested in sports cars taught her to play racing video games.
“One of the difficulties which I faced was the criticism of our society, the fact that a girl enters the field of cars which is dominated by men. But now the situation is developing and changing, especially when women are becoming more involved in the sport of auto racing starting at a young age and training determinedly to become professional drivers,” the racer said, adding that motorsports helped her battle the pressure and stress she faces at work.
Earlier in February, Saudi Arabia’s women’s national soccer team held its first ever soccer-match. The ban for Saudi women to drive and attend soccer matches was lifted in 2018 marking a historical change for the Gulf country.