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Saudi Athlete Worked Out To Eat More And Accidentally Became An Olympic-Level Skier!
At 29, a Jeddah-born athlete has become the first Saudi cross-country skier to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. But his journey wasn’t planned, nor was it easy. Courage, endurance, and a stubborn belief in himself carried him through a path full of icy trails, grueling workouts, and countless moments of humility.
Rakan Alireza from Saudi now calls himself an “accidental athlete.”
He started working out years ago simply so he could eat more, never imagining those early gym sessions would one day lead him to the Winter Olympics
When he began training in 2021 in the tiny Swedish town of Torsby, he assumed cross-country skiing would be similar to downhill. It was not. Watching skiers of all ages and abilities zoom past him, struggling just to put on his skis with the help of his coach, he realized that success would come only one step at a time.
That coach, Christer Skog, is a world-renowned Swedish cross-country skier and Guinness World Record holder who has trained national teams from across the globe. Taking on a beginner from Saudi Arabia might have seemed unusual, but Alireza’s determination and audacity presented a unique challenge.
Training to Olympic level meant up to five hours a day alternating between skiing and endurance workouts
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Even the most mundane exercises were turned into adventures, from hikes disguised as dinner runs to creative drills that replicated snowy conditions in the desert. Back in Jeddah, Alireza uses roller skis along the Corniche, ties a tire to his back for resistance training, and rows and runs relentlessly. His desert-based training turned limitations into advantages, showing that adaptability and creativity can make even the harshest conditions work in an athlete’s favor.
Cross-country skiing demands one of the highest oxygen uptakes of any sport, often in temperatures as low as –20°C. Yet Alireza’s background in a hot climate offered a hidden edge, conditioning him for endurance in ways many Scandinavian athletes might never experience.
What started as a casual workout routine in Jeddah spiraled into an unplanned journey to the Winter Olympics. Through sheer determination, a little delusion, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected, Rakan Alireza went from eating more to racing on snow, proving that sometimes the most extraordinary paths are the ones we never meant to take.
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