Mireia Badía made history a few months ago by achieving, after three runner -ups, the Women Enduro World Championship. The Spanish pilot, piloting for Rieju, managed to be crowned in 2024. But she will not defend the number one this season, since she has announced her withdrawal as a pilot.
A situation that can be striking, but has a weight argument: the enduro does not allow to live on it. In fact, Mireia recognizes it in an interview conducted by the RFME in which she reviews moments of her sports career and, also, of the reasons that lead the Spanish pilot to hang their boots.
Although he has received great support from Rieju, the Spanish brand with which he has been competing this last season and with which he will remain linked and working for them within the Department of Carreras, the reality is that removing the most prominent National Enduro names, they don’t have easy to have a salary for their work.
Mireia Badia shows the harsh reality of sport away from the spotlights
A reflection of complexity on many occasions of sport (not only engine), where elite athletes cannot be fully dedicated to it for purely economic issues. To this we must add, according to the words of Mireia herself, that support for women’s sport is lower and is mainly based on material but not monetary aid.
Asked what she considered that it was the worst of sport, the hardest thing to face, Mireia answered: “The worst of this world, I believe that, apart from the injuries, obviously, it is still a lot of support for women. Every day there are more sponsors who are interested in linking with us and that help us with material … but it is true that we are not ranked enough to receive financial aid, not just material.
In the end it is what we notice many of us, which does not finish value that female category as it should. ”
In the same way he gave his opinion on the conditions that could have led to the one who would have continued to compete:
“The brands do not usually give a salary, I do not speak of Rieju in particular, but in Spain, for example, there are hardly any pilots who charge to compete and, although there are people who are lucky to be able to work for a family business in which it is Similar to combine work and competition, the rest does not. In the Enduro you have to travel since Wednesday or Thursday, and that, adding the World Cup races, Spanish and Isde Championship, are many days of vacation. I would have liked and helped me a salary much earlier, to be able to train well and not have to suffer. ”
He also valued whether or not 2024 had been his last year in case he had not achieved the title, to which the world champion had no doubt: “Yes, I would surely have retired the same, but I would have done it with a bad taste, the truth. However, we have achieved it, although as I have already mentioned, the idea was already clear since last year. ”
Now Mireia Badia closes an important stage of her life, but at 28 she still has a lot And as, because of his effort and Palmarés, he deserves.
