Filipino expat triumphs in Pearl-Qatar triathlon

Filipino triathlete Ronald Molit won the open men section in the sprint category, besting two athletes from the UK to win The Pearl-Qatar Triathlon yesterday.

More than 200 professional and amateur athletes from the GCC countries competed in the event. Molit finished the race with a time of 01:09:16 , just a few metres away from Tom Whateley who took the second place with 01:10:05, and his compatriot,  Paul Dean (01:10:44).

“Completing a triathlon is seen as a major achievement and crossing the finish line – no matter your place in the track – can be a hugely rewarding experience,” said Molit, after overcoming a gruelling 750 metre swim, 20km biking and a five kilometre run.

For the open men in the Olympic category, Ryan Christian from Australia was the first to finish the race with 02:10:04. Luke Longney from New Zealand was second with 02:12:44, and Sam Westhead was third with a time of 02:15:13.

The finishers took to the waters and streets between Qanat Quartier and The Pearl-Qatar Boulevard for the 1.5km swim, 40km biking and 10km run.

Some 30 athletes received awards in all five categories for each of the “Sprint” and “Olympic” tracks.

Other winners for the Olympic category included Sam Westhead (master men), Bex Grace (open women), Lindis Johansen (masters women) and The Leftovers team for the relay.

For the Sprint category, James Bowen finished first for the master men, Caroline van Aarttijk (master women), and Lise Dannesboe (open women).

One of the male participants, who works as a lifeguard, said it was his first time at a triathlon event.

“It is an exciting sport and I believe I will train more to break my record today,” he added. He wants to try the Olympic masters category next time.

Roger Dagher, director of corporate communications at United Development Company, the master developer of The Pearl-Qatar, said the overwhelming interest in triathlon, and considering that the athletic level needed to compete requires a high degree of professional training, indicated the commitment of the participants to sport and “competitive challenges.”

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