Fine finish for Bahrain

Manama : HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee and Captain of Bahrain Endurance 13 Team, came eighth in his age category and 148th overall among 1200 participants at the Ironman African Championship held yesterday in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Shaikh Nasser finished the gruelling race in 10 hours 21 minutes 24 seconds after finishing the 3.8km swim in (1:09.02) the 180km cycling (5:16.28) and the 42.2km (3:49.03).

After crossing the finish line, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa expressed his happiness about taking part in the championship and the results of the Bahraini team, stressing that participating in South Africa would add to the team members’ experiences abroad and improve their overall performance, especially that the championship featured many international professional athletes.

He added the results achieved reiterated the improvement of Bahraini triathlon sport, through the endless support of the Kingdom’s leadership headed by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Shaikh Nasser’s participation in the championship has drawn the attention of local and international media at the event. The commentator of the race had continually welcomed him during the race and described him as “the Godfather of Triathlon Sports in the Middle East”, emphasising his good reputation in the world of triathlon sports.

Bahrain Endurance 13 Team member Ben Hoffman (8:12.36) from the US snatched first spot in the pros category and adding a new achievement to the team, second place went to Australian Tim Van Berkel (8:14.50) with third going to Estonian Marko Albert (6:18.51).

In the women’s event, Bahrain Endurance 13 Team member Jodie Swallow was injured during the cycling round as she was affected by the strong winds created by the helicopter of the championship’s media crew. The helicopter was flying at low altitude and affected many athletes. She did complete the race and was later taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Finland’s Kaisa Lehtonen (9:06.49) won the women’s pro category and 20th overall, Briton Susie Cheetham (9:09.48) was second and compatriot Lucy Gossage (9:11.42) third.

Meanwhile, qualifiers to the World Triathlon Championship that will be held later this year in Kuna, Hawaii, will be announced during a special ceremony today.