All set for champions to battle it out
Manama : A press conference was held yesterday at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay to highlight the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship by both organisers and the athletes themselves which takes place from the same venue tomorrow from 6.55am.
The course consists of a 1.9 km swim located at the Bahrain Four Seasons Hotel, a one-loop bike course including a segment on the world-famous Bahrain International Circuit and a 21.1 km run which passes through Al Areen Wildlife Park with an iconic finish line at BIC. First up were the organisers and sponsors who spoke about how this event will profile Bahrain and how it will benefit the economy.
In attendance were - Greg Pirkle General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, Vivian Jamal, EDB Executive Director - Communications Marketing, Erwin Dokter, Regional Director EMEA, Amal Al Murbati, Faalyat Management Company - Board Member and Director, Ossama Al Saad, Batelco - Senior Manager Corporate Affairs and Mohammed Lahna a Moroccan bronze medallist at the Rio Paralympics 2016.
Later six top triathlete champions spoke about their experiences and aspirations for this forthcoming event, they were Tine Deckers, Caroline Steffen, Michael Raelert, Terrenzo Bozzone, Sam Appleton and Patrick Nillson.
Amal Al Murbati said, “Athletes focus on their sporting accomplishments first and foremost, triathlon in general is steadily rising its public profile in the Kingdom of Bahrain and our goal is and always has been to promote a healthy lifestyle. Being part of developing this race and seeing how it has progressed is an honour. We have been working on a lot of small details to improve the setup and are looking forward to welcoming athletes to Bahrain. This event will get better and better year by year.”
“We might have to stop them somewhere on the course or sneak in an extra lap somewhere,” Erwin Dokter, Regional Director Middle of Ironman jokingly added.
“These guys are way too fast. But I hope they will also enjoy the new course. Our team has been amazing and I feel we have taken this event to a new level. If the athletes are happy then we are happy.”
Nillson said, “It may be December, but my mission is to make it to Kona in 2017 and the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain is my second big step after Ironman Barcelona.”
Bozzone said, “Last year I got sick right before the event and couldn’t make it. This year I feel strong and healthy and winning IronmanWestern Australia took a huge weight of my shoulders and I really enjoyed the moment. Now I am hungry for more and Bahrain great place to race.”
Caroline Steffen of Switzerland expressed a similar sentiment, “We’ve had the chance to spend some time in the country together with the Bahrain 13 Endurance team and it has been a great experience.”
Being part of racing again couldn’t make anyone happier than Michael Raelert. After spending the last year battling the Eppstein-Barr virus the German is making his comeback on the international IRONMAN circuit: “When you are an athlete training and racing is your life. It was hard to watch from the sidelines and it’s been a long process coming back. I am almost back to where I was and hope give my competitors a good battle.”
Though taking a break, last year’s IRONMAN World Champions Daniela Ryf and Jan Frodeno have joined forces with Spaniard Javier Gómez and will form a relay team tomorrow.
Related Posts