Deaf women have also achieved great sporting successes. Ashley Fiolek is a professional motocross racer who has won many awards, including the X Games, a famous extreme sports championship in the United States.
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| Ashley Fiolek (photo: supercross.com) |
This is not all. One of her most important and inspiring milestones is having been the first woman in history to be on the cover of the important motocross magazine Transworld Motocross. She was also the youngest woman in history to win the AMA Motocross Championship, the greatest motocross championship in the United States since 1972.
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| Ashley Fiolek: first woman (and Deaf) to be cover in Transworld Motocross magazine |
Ashley, born in 1990, is a sign language user and her slogan is, as she states on the Red Bull website (a regular sponsor of extreme sports events), 'Always keep trying and do whatever you want'. In the following video (English and Spanish subtitles) you can see her on two wheels and learn more about her story, told by herself:
She retired from professional motocross competition in 2013, but remains very active, participating in television series, giving interviews and talks, dubbing dangerous scenes in films, teaching at the Ashley Fiolek MX Schools or even establishing her own foundation to help others achieve their dreams, the Ashley Fiolek Foundation (AFF).
Sources:
- Hansel, A. (2013, October, 16). 5 Must-Watch Videos Starring Ashley Fiolek. In Red Bull. Retrieved from https://www.redbull.com/us-en/ashley-fiolek-five-must-watch-videos
- Maeda, D. (2015, May, 13). 'Ashley Fiolek, new chapters'. In Transworld Motocross. Retrieved from https://motocross.transworld.net/features/ashley-fiolek-new-chapters/
- Martín, J. (2012, June, 16). 'Ashley Fiolek: un ejemplo más de superación y pundonor en USA'. In Motorpasión Moto. En línea: http://www.motorpasionmoto.com/videos/ashley-fiolek-un-ejemplo-mas-de-superacion-y-pundonor-en-usa
- Wright, E. (2014, April, 10). Ashley Fiolek: Women's Moto Champ Back in Action. In Red Bull. Retrieved from https://www.redbull.com/us-en/ashley-fiolek-back-2014
