‘Extra special’ Ironman for triathletes who call Bahrain ‘home’
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
The Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain is a special event in more ways than one.
The prestigious triathlon is a celebration of sport and Middle Eastern culture featuring world-class professional and amateur triathletes, both men and women, from all across the globe.
They will be pushing their bodies to their limits over three gruelling stages, including a 1.9-kilometre swim, a 90km cycle and a 21.1km run.
But for foreign nationals who now call Bahrain “home”, the event is more than just a race—it is an opportunity for them to show their appreciation to the local community and their families and friends, who continuously support them in their sporting journey.
Team Bahrain pro triathlete Eric Watson from Australia, who trains young children and youth with The Triathlete Factory, is looking forward to competing alongside those in the local community and in the process inspire the up-and-comers he works with.
“Because this is a home race for me, it is extra special,” Watson says. “I’m out there with athletes I’ve trained with in the community.
“A home race means a lot more for the people and the energy that it brings about. Hopefully I can be a leading role model and example in sports and sports conduct.
“I want to encourage everyone and have a strong performance myself, and I look forward to everyone achieving their goals.”
Watson, a veteran of Ironman events having competed around the world, expects the top names coming in from overseas to put in a strong performance.
“For this course, the guys coming in are very strong and very professional at what they do,” Watson says.
“I believe they will all be at their top level, execute their training and do a pretty good job pushing their limits. “Apparently, it will be quite a windy and tough day for us, but also it seems it will be the first day of winter. I’m happy to bring it on!” For Paul Jericho Pineda from the Philippines, the Ironman in Bahrain gives him an opportunity to say “thank you” to those closest to him, who have been his inspiration to take part in such demanding events.
“I would not be able to compete here without the support of my wife and my family and the encouragement of my friends; my training not only takes up my time, but my family’s time as well, so there’s a lot of sacrifices I had to make,” says the civil engineer, who will be contesting the men’s 35-39 age-category.
“I do this for them.” Pineda is competing in his second-ever Ironman after also racing in the Salalah event in Oman in September, and hopes to go a level higher at home. “Living in Bahrain and racing here, I want to perform well,” Pineda says.
“I want to beat my time in Oman, and the pros are here, so I’m really excited to race alongside them and I want to do well.” Chinese national Fei Lin has been looking forward to competing in the Ironman race in Bahrain for the past couple of years, but was unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now she gets her chance, and is relishing the opportunity to compete alongside her teammates. “When they announced that the race will be happening again here, I was so happy with it, and to be able to do the Ironman in Bahrain, the place I am living at,” says Fei, who also made her Ironman debut in Salalah.
The mother-of-two, who is racing in the women’s 30-34 category, adds: “I really appreciate my teammates and my coach; they are always pushing me and encouraging me to be stronger and challenge more.
That’s why I’m here and I’m looking forward to racing with the people I train with every week. “I’ve been training for half-a-year. Now I want to see the moment I cross the finish line.”
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