大象传媒

In 2005, British motorcycle rider, Maria Costello, became the first ever woman to reach the podium at the infamous Isle of Man TT course.

In doing so, she also became the fastest woman ever around the course.

The Isle of Man TT is one of the most challenging and unforgiving motorsport events in the world, the ultimate test for both riders and machines.

Maria was awarded an MBE in 2009 in recognition of her career as one of Britain's leading female racers.

She shares her memories with Artemis Irvine.

A Whistledown production for 大象传媒 World Service.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You鈥檒l hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women鈥檚 World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football鈥檚 biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who鈥檝e had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Maria Costello. Credit: Getty Images)