Ryan Christian and Jelena Vasiljevic showed their class at recent 2XU Triathlon Championships held at Mamzar Park. Nearly 550 multi-sport enthusiasts from the UAE, surrounding Gulf states and as far as the UK competed in Race 1 of this three-race series. On a near perfect morning for racing, Christian completed the Men’s Olympic distance of 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run in an impressive 1 hour 50 minutes and 37 seconds. Nicholas Tipper crossed the finish line to take second place in 1:58:13 with Christian Henn also making it under the two-hour mark in 1:59:14. Vasiljevic completed the ladies Olympic course in 2:07:04 to clinch the overall title but was pushed all the way by Ana Celie Cruis de Campo in second with a time of 2:12:29 while Merele Talviste completed the podium positions with a time of 2:15:59.
The Super Sprint distance of a 200/375m swim, 8km cycle and 2.5km run was keenly contested with many juniors taking the top spots. In the Boy’s 12 years and under 200m swim category, Max Powell reigned supreme dashing to the line in 29:16 with Nicolaas Zwager close on his heels in 0:32:49 and Ned Farrell rounding off the top three in 33:48. Keeping it in the family, Elisha Powell powered her way to victory in the same age group for girls in 32:45 followed home by Angelica Gordon and Hannah Burns in 33:17 and 34:48 respectively. In the 375m swim category, juniors took the top three places with Jed Skilton – 32:07, Ollie Cottam – 34:03 and Etienne Tillon – 34:09. On the ladies side, Anne Marie McGettigan brought them home in 39:03, closely followed by Charlotte Edwards in 40:23 with 13-year-old Tilly Farrell third overall in 43:51.
The Sprint distance of 750m swim, 24km cycle, 5km run was hotly contested with over 200 entrants for this popular distance. On the men’s side, Julien Periard prevailed on top in 1:04:36 with Jordan Janszen in second in 1:10:06 pushed all the way by Kevin Chesham only three seconds behind in 1:10:09. Leanne Fanoy blitzed the ladies sprint course in 1:10:39, two minutes ahead of veteran Beverley Mason in 1:12:57 with Alison Grinnell third in 1:18:20.
“This was an amazing turn out for Race 1 and a great start to the 2XU Triathlon Championships. Triathletes of all ages and abilities took part and they are growing the sport week by week. For many it was their first time and they conquered their ultimate challenge! The support from parents, partners and siblings was huge toward all athletes and we must have had over a thousand people down here competing and supporting,” commented Event Director Warren van der Merwe from Super Sports Events. “What was really promising to see was the number of juniors who had entered, and many for the first time who said they will be back for more. Support from sponsors on the day was also appreciated by all, especially from Dubai Sports Council, Go Sport and 2XU the title sponsors. Co-sponsors included Zoggs, Probike, Aqualyte, Sharbatly Fruit, Adventures in the Alps, Sport 360, SuperPro Race Timing Services, Imax and Barry Morgan Sports Photography.
All results can be viewed from www.supersportsdubai.com. Entries for Race 2 on Friday, 07 February 2014 are already open and will be limited to the first 500 entries.
