Abu Dhabi: A Bahraini royal added lustre to the ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi on Saturday, competing alongside more than 2,000 age-group participants in the swimming, biking and running challenge on the Corniche on Saturday.
Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa participated in the maxi distance race, entering the water at 6.30am and finishing in an impressive time of 03:58:55.
Later in the day, Olympic and elite triathletes tested their mettle in gruelling weather conditions, with temperatures topping 30 degrees.
The elements, however, did not deter Shaikh Nasser, who said: “I’m very happy with my result and to be participating in this event for the first time. I enjoy travelling to the UAE to participate in sporting events here.
“This race was very useful for me to gather more experience of triathlon and it was also a great way to continue my preparations for a full Ironman race in South Africa in April.”
This year’s race, hosted by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, enjoyed a distinctly international flavour, with over 70 nations represented on the start lists.
The event featured three distances to suit people of all abilities – Sprint, Olympic and Maxi, attracting competitors from as far and wide as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Egypt, Philippines, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Germany, Sweden, Russia, USA, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and many more.
Emirati Obaid Al Jasmi, a 34-year-old Olympic swimmer, was delighted to have completed the Olympic distance race as part of the first UAE competitive triathlon relay team alongside his teammates 35-year-old cyclist Badr Ali Thani from Dubai and runner 26-year-old Khalifa Al Nuaimi from Fujairah.
Abu Dhabi resident Al Jasmi said he was proud to race in his home city: “The weather conditions were perfect and the ambience was really thrilling. We feel very proud to compete in this race as part of an all-Emirati team in our home country.”
Giving Abu Dhabi a dose of triathlon girl-power was 20-year-old Egyptian Fatma Hagras, the first woman of her age group to finish the Olympic distance race.
Hagras, who took up triathlon just four years ago, travelled from Egypt to compete in the race: “It’s my first time in Abu Dhabi and it was super exciting. The swim was quite crowded at first so I didn’t come out of the water amongst the leaders but cycling is my strong point in triathlon so I was able to catch up. The heat picked up on the run but overall it went really well and I’m very happy.”
Another inspirational Arab woman, 28-year-old Noura Al Ameeri, participated in the Sprint distance, having travelled to Abu Dhabi along with several members of the Kuwait Triathlon Team.
“As a team, we’ve travelled to many triathlon events around the world and we had a great experience here in Abu Dhabi today,” she said. “It’s also fantastic to see so many pro triathletes here and huge numbers of spectators.”
