More than 400 athletes from Qatar and around the world took part in the third edition of the annual Doha Triathlon which took place at the MIA Park this Friday, 8 February.

The event, supported by Qatar National Tourism Council, Qatar Triathlon Federation, Qatar Olympic Committee and Qatar Museums, featured different races for men and women, including Olympic-distance triathlon, sprint, super sprint for youth and adults, in addition to a kids duathlon.

The excellent Doha weather helped greatly in the success of the event which also included swimming in the bay next to the Museum of Islamic Art, cycling at the Doha corniche and running in the scenic MIA Park.

The event kicked off with the sprint race of national championship series, including a 750-metre swimming, a 20-km cycling and a 5-km running. Saad Al Mejali from Q-Tri emerged as the new Qatar champion with 1:11:52 hours, taking over Ebrahim Al Romaihi, and reducing his last year’s time by 51 seconds, and shifting him to third place. Abdulrahman Al Jaber took the second place.

The sprint was followed by the Olympic-distance triathlon that involves 1500-metre swimming, 40-km cycling and 10-km running.

More than 50 participants took part in the Super Sprint distance, with adult beginners and teenagers’ categories, Kids Duathlon, which only included swimming and running, was also overbooked with a variety of ages that ranged between 7 to 12 years old. The morning started with cold temperatures but turned to a very beautiful sunny day with high public attendance. All participants received a commemorative medal after crossing the finish line, before celebrating in the festive finish line area.

Qatar Triathlon Federation officials and representatives from sponsors and partners officiated the medal ceremony. The top three finishers received special medals and prizes from Al Tawfeeq Travels and Royal Air Maroc.

The success of Doha Triathlon 2019 came as no surprise, as the number of triathlon events in Qatar nearly tripled over the past few years. The country’s population of triathletes is constantly growing, and Qatar Triathlon Federation is working hard to promote the sport and form a strong national team through various events, including the national triathlon series. Doha Triathlon was the third stage of the series, with the fourth and final stages scheduled for Lusail and the Pearl over the next couple of months.

Doha Triathlon also clearly strengthened its position as one of the top triathlon event in the region. The event this year also attracted triathletes from different countries around the world, including Oman, Kuwait, Iran, USA, Great Britain, France, Spain and Romania.

 

Dr Nasser Al Mohannadi, Qatar Cycling and Triathlon vice-president, and head of triathlon at the Federation, said they are proud of the success achieved by the third edition of Doha Triathlon.

We would like to thank the Qatar National Tourism Council and Qatar Museums for their support to the event, which will in turn support Qatar’s tourism and economy. We also, of course, would like to thank all the participants, our sponsors and our partners, without them it would have not been possible to organise such a wonderful event.’

Doha Triathlon partners include Al Tawfeeq Travel, Royal Air Maroc, Movenpick Hotel, LES Luxury Equipment Solutions, Qatar Living, Red Bull, Qatar Airways, Royal Riviera, Aqua Carpatica, Vita Coco, Almond Breeze, Eat Natural, Carbon Wheels and Padel Qatar.