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Aspiring Laleh Seddigh sets example
Laleh Seddigh is blazing a trail for aspiring sportswomen in Iran by competing in the male-dominated world of saloon car racing.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: March 22, 2007 06:37 AM IST
Read Time:1 min
Tehran:
Laleh Seddigh is blazing a trail for aspiring sportswomen in Iran by competing in the male-dominated world of saloon car racing. Seddigh successfully petitioned for the right to compete against men in 2004 and went on to win a saloon car national championship. Motorsports are growing in popularity in Iran, but it isn't just the men who are taking to the racing circuits in larger numbers. Laleh Seddigh is leading a charge for women to be taken seriously in a traditionally male-dominated sport, and country. Nicknamed 'little Schumacher' after Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, Seddigh successfully campaigned for the right to take part in men's saloon car racing competitions in 2004. She not only became the first woman in Iran to racecars against the opposite sex, but was also the first woman to compete against men in any sport since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Seddigh's determination to be taken seriously led to a national motor racing title, although state television refused to broadcast subsequent pictures of her standing above male drivers on the podium. Her achievements will pave the way for other aspiring sportswomen in Iran though. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
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