A pioneering Saudi athlete who defied expectations by qualifying to represent Saudi Arabia in cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, becoming the first Saudi male skier to do so. Since his international skiing debut in 2021, he has competed in multiple FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, including Planica 2023 and Trondheim 2025. Despite training in a city with no snow, Rakan’s daily regimen built on running, swimming, cycling, and hill climbs, reflects a relentless commitment to excellence that has propelled him from the desert to the world stage. Away from the snow, Rakan is also a decorated rower, inspired by his cousin Hussein Alireza, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He is a multiple-time GCC indoor rowing champion and a national champion at the Saudi Games who has represented Saudi Arabia at the 2022 Asian Games in single sculls. 0:00 Intro 4:13 Start of The Journey 7:24 Rowing 9:07 Embracing Challenges 12:08 What are the Saudi Games? 15:23 Rowing to Skiing? 18:04 Olympic Qualifications 30:24 Skiing Without Snow 33:05 Olympics Selection and Winter Sports 36:29 Maintaining Mental Strength 50:19 Olympic Ambitions and Self Advice 54:35 Closing Thoughts The Mo Show Youtube https://bit.ly/3nDwsZv Apple Podcast https://apple.co/3J9ScX4 Spotify https://spoti.fi/33dzsC2 Anghami https://bit.ly/3mRo1uy Instagram https://bit.ly/2KAwq5v X https://bit.ly/3KanEnJ TikTok https://bit.ly/43L92po Website https://bit.ly/3H2DhMM Email
[email protected] Presented By:KAFD App https://apple.co/4e9BdU0 Website https://bit.ly/3YktQUI Instagram https://bit.ly/3YFpWGn X https://bit.ly/3LMJOzi LinkedIn https://bit.ly/3A0b2Q J Saudia Website https://bit.ly/495n6fB Instagram https://bit.ly/3UgTTdA X https://bit.ly/4beIQY8 Whoophttps://join.whoop.com/gb/en/moshow/ Noon Instagram https://bit.ly/3XRScUY Website https://bit.ly/44lnA1S Pizza Hut Jeddah Instagram https://bit.ly/3T87mjt Website http://bit.ly/3UtnkWq IWC Instagram https://bit.ly/44dxbFW Website https://bit.ly/43K8JMk Credits Rakan Alireza | Guest Mo Islam | Host Founder Ryan Ismail | COO Faisal Nejaim | Show Manager Gregoris Kalai | Head of Strategy Tito | Creative Director Youssef Hamieh | Production Manager Translation Powered by “STUCK?”
