About this episode
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 Intro4:13 Start of The Journey7:24 Rowing9:07 Embracing Challenges12:08 What are the Saudi Games?15:23 Rowing to Skiing?18:04 Olympic Qualifications30:24 Skiing Without Snow33:05 Olympics Selection and Winter Sports36:29 Maintaining Mental Strength50:19 Olympic Ambitions and Self Advice54:35 Closing Thoughts The Mo ShowYoutube https://bit.ly/3nDwsZvApple Podcast https://apple.co/3J9ScX4Spotify https://spoti.fi/33dzsC2Anghami https://bit.ly/3mRo1uyInstagram https://bit.ly/2KAwq5vX https://bit.ly/3KanEnJTikTok https://bit.ly/43L92poWebsite https://bit.ly/3H2DhMMEmail info@themopodcast.com Presented By:KAFD App https://apple.co/4e9BdU0Website https://bit.ly/3YktQUIInstagram https://bit.ly/3YFpWGnX https://bit.ly/3LMJOziLinkedIn https://bit.ly/3A0b2QJ Saudia Website https://bit.ly/495n6fBInstagram https://bit.ly/3UgTTdAX https://bit.ly/4beIQY8Whoophttps://join.whoop.com/gb/en/moshow/ Noon Instagram https://bit.ly/3XRScUYWebsite https://bit.ly/44lnA1S Pizza Hut JeddahInstagram https://bit.ly/3T87mjtWebsite http://bit.ly/3UtnkWq IWC Instagram https://bit.ly/44dxbFWWebsite https://bit.ly/43K8JMk CreditsRakan Alireza | GuestMo Islam | Host FounderRyan Ismail | COOFaisal Nejaim | Show ManagerGregoris Kalai | Head of StrategyTito | Creative DirectorYoussef Hamieh | Production ManagerTranslation Powered by “STUCK?”
