With Siya Kolisi and the Springboks lifting the William Webb Ellis trophy in Japan, stories of sporting heroics have been widely shared this past month or so.

Rightly so, and we’ll be lapping them up for four more years, but here’s one inspirational story that may have slipped under the radar.

The saying goes that winners never quit and quitters never win, and that’s something that Kirsten Landman knows all too well.

In case you haven’t heard the name before, Kirsten is the first African female to qualify for The Dakar Rally’s motorbike classification.

That’s an impressive enough achievement in and of itself, but that’s only half the story. Kirsten survived a life-threatening injury a few years ago where she was catapulted off her bike, ruptured her spleen, and eventually had to learn how to walk again.

Ryobi, the ‘power tools that won’t quit’ brand, has been documenting Kirsten’s Road to Dakar – which is hosted in Saudi Arabia from January 5 to January 17 next year –  via a monthly Facebook documentary series.

Clearly, Kirsten’s story about her own ‘won’t quit’ mentality has resonated and inspired her countryfolk, with more than eight million South Africans reached, and Ryobi achieving 12 consecutive months of record sales.

For those playing catch-up, this is Kirsten’s story in just 60 seconds, shot on location where she trains in Kwa-Zulu Natal:

We take our hats off to this star performer, and also to Ryobi for their continued support of such an inspiring and resilient athlete.

You can follow Kirsten’s story on Facebook, and keep an eye on Ryobi’s Facebook page for further video updates.

See you at the Dakar starting line in January, Kirsten. Give it horns.