Dubai: Winning is a habit for the Dingle family. For the past few years, the Dingles have been among the constants in the UAE racing fraternity.
Dad Nick, a finance director with Action International Services, and home-maker mum Hafwen have led their three young children by example. From an early age, each of the children — Megan (13), Cerys (11) and Vaughan (10) have slowly started making an impact on the domestic athletic scene.
In fact, Megan was the winner in the 5km Women’s Open race held as part of the NAS Ramadan Sports Tournament late on Saturday.
The 13-year-old student of Dubai English Speaking College (DESC), who trains with Ultimate Athletics at Dubai Sports City, finished the course with a time of 20.28 minutes, well clear of Helen O’Neile’s 21.17 minutes and Sara Souhi’s 22.28.
“This is something that I enjoy the most. I feel so alive and confident just running,” Megan told Gulf News after the race.
Younger sister Cerys came in fifth in the same race, but was bubbly. “My time will come,” Cerys said.
“I have just about started and like in a race, I need to be patient. I need to practise even harder and the success will follow,” the 11-year-old said.
With Vaughan asleep at home, proud parents Hafwen and Nick were around to ensure everything was on track for the two girls.
“For us, running is a family affair,” Nick explained.
“This is our time together as a unit. Whatever we need to do is planned around a run or a practice session. This is family time for us, and at the same time, we get an opportunity to stay healthy and fit,” Hafwen added.
Orignally hailing from Cheshire, England, the Dingle family moved to the UAE some nine years back. And starting so early in life has had its positives as well.
“One thing is for sure for the two of us — we want to represent Team Great Britain at the Olympic Games. Maybe not at the Tokyo Olympics, but definitely at the 2024 Games,” Megan stressed.
