At just 10 years old, Atiqa Mir is one of the most exciting young names in global motorsport. The first Indian and Asian girl selected to the F1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive program, she’s already won at Le Mans and collected over 30 trophies. But her journey hasn’t been easy.

In this episode of The Mettleset Podcast, Atiqa opens up about overcoming bullying on and off the track, staying focused in a male-dominated sport, and how she’s training — physically and mentally — to reach Formula 1. Her father, former national karting champion Asif Mir, joins to share the behind-the-scenes of raising a trailblazer.

All this as momentum builds in the region: the Saudi Grand Prix just wrapped, Farah AlYousef made her F1 Academy debut, and Sebastian Vettel’s Race 4 Women initiative is pushing the future of female motorsport forward.

🔗 Links 🔗

• Atiqa on Instagram
• Atiqa Mir’s F1 Academy feature – ABC News
• Farah AlYousef enters F1 Academy Round 2
• Sebastian Vettel’s Race 4 Women

❤️ Follow The Mettleset on Instagram: @themettleset

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-Dawn

In this episode of The Mettleset Podcast, we take you into the world of BASE jumping with two of the sport’s top athletes, Katie Hansen and Cornelia Mihai. Fresh off their participation in EXIT 139—a historic two-day event where 31 jumpers from 15 countries completed an astonishing 437 jumps from the Burj Khalifa—they share what it means to take that leap, both physically and mentally.

Beyond the spectacle, BASE jumping isn’t just about adrenaline—it’s about trust, presence, and embracing life at full intensity. In a short but sweet episode, Katie and Cornelia reflect on their experiences, the mindset behind the sport, and why it’s not about being reckless, but about truly living.

Links:

• 🔗 Read the full Arab News article: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2591124/sport
• 🔗 Follow The Mettleset on Instagram: @themettleset
• 🔗 Follow Katie Hansen on Instagram: @flywithkatie
• 🔗 Follow Cornelia Mihai on Instagram: @cornelia_mihai
• 🔗 Sign up for The Mettleset newsletter: sign up here

Support the Show:

💬 Love the episode? Leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend!

-Dawn

The UAE Tour Women (Feb 6-9) is the Middle East’s first and only Women’s WorldTour race, where the world’s best cyclists battle it out over four intense stages covering 540km across the UAE’s desert landscapes. In this special three-part series,

In Episode 3 of our three part BTS series we celebrate UAE Team ADQ’s incredible victory, with insights from key figures who made it happen:

• 🚲 Melissa Moncada, Head of Team, on the significance of this win for UAE cycling and the growth of women’s cycling in the region.
• 🚲 Cherie Pridham, Head of Sport, a trailblazer as the first woman to hold a sport director role on a men’s WorldTour team before joining UAE Team ADQ, shares her thoughts on the team’s performance and success.
• 🚲 Silvia Persico, who finished second in the GC and was instrumental in Elisa Longo Borghini’s Stage 3 victory, reflects on her role and the team’s strategy.
• 🚲 Elisa Longo Borghini, fresh off her GC win, shares her experience of the race, her emotions after taking the overall victory, and a personal reflection on racing with her brother as a tour director.

🔗 Links discussed in this episode:

• 📖 Read Dawn’s full race coverage in Arab News
• 📸 Follow UAE Team ADQ on Instagram
• 🚲 For more stories on women in sport! Find us on @themettleset ✨
• 📩 Subscribe to The Mettleset newsletter for exclusive stories on MENA women’s sports, HERE

In this series:

• Episode 1: Inside the race with journalist Emma Cole
• Episode 2: A behind-the-scenes look inside the Human Powered Health support car

🚲 For more stories on women in sport! Find us on @themettleset ✨

📩 Subscribe to The Mettleset newsletter for exclusive stories on MENA women’s sports, HERE

— Dawn