Dubai, April 29: Moroccan men made a cleansweep of the podium in the Open category of the Dubai Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament 10km Run on Wednesday night, while Saleh Al Hammadi and Mouza Al Ghafli took the men’s and women’s honour in the Amateur Emirati category.
Anouar El Ghouz, winner of the NAS Run 10km Open category title in 2019, was on cruise control again on Wednesday night, finishing well ahead of his two Moroccan compatriots with a time of 30 minutes and 2.229 seconds. Abdelali Bouazzaoui (30:27.829) was second to cross the line, followed by Brahim Slimani (30:48.095), while the Emirati duo of Mubarak Al Marashda (31:08.193) and Saleh Al Suwaidi (31:57.042) brought up the top five.
The Open Women’s 10km run also witnessed a repeat winner with 2019 champion, Ethiopia’s Betlhem Desalegn Belayneh cruising to the title in 35:24.691, which was more than five minutes quicker than Great Britain’s Stephanie Humphrey (40:40.883), while Frenchwoman Latifa Essarokh finished third in 41:07.854.
In the Amateur Emirati Men’s category, Saleh Al Hammadi clocked 34:51.714 to finish ahead of Rashid Al Blooshi (35:52.620) and Mohsen Hassan Mohammed (36:05.769), while in the Amateur Emirati Women’s race, Al Ghafli was a comfortable winner in 44:00.286, with Maryam Al Awadhi (48:39.677) and Huda Al Nuaimi (53:44.901) were second and third.
The winners each of the four categories will receive AED 10,000, while the runners-up will take home AED 7,000 and the bronze-winners will get AED 5,000 each. There are prizes for those who finished between 4th to 9th as well, with each of them getting AED 3,000.
Delighted with his win, El Ghouz said the “tough competition” and “humidity” had made it a difficult night for him and everyone else, but “the desire to win the NAS title” saw him overcome all the challenges.
“In the final two kilometres, it got really difficult, but I worked hard on my rhythm and tried to focus on winning the race and nothing else,” he said. “There was great pressure and the competition was tough, but I am happy I could get past every challenge and win this title once again.”
Organised by Dubai Sports Council, the NAS Sports Tournament has been one of the top sporting attractions during the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013, and the eighth season of the Tournament was organized in compliance with all COVID-19 precautionary measures and protocols, as well as other guidelines issued by relevant authorities. The organisers conducted free COVID-19 PCR test for all NAS Cycling and NAS Run participants at Al Wasl Club – on April 20-21 for NAS Cycling and April 26-27 for NAS Run – to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Dubai Duty Free and Tecnotree were the main sponsors of this year’s Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, which is one of the biggest events of its kind in terms of participation and prize money.
Dubai Police, Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai Sports TV, Meydan, Al Wasl Sports Club, UAE Cycling Federation, and Watani Al Emarat Foundation were the strategic partners, while Pocari Sweat, Aquafina, and AKI Fitness were support sponsors.
RESULTS
Amateur Emirati – Men: 1-Saleh Al Hammadi 34:51.714; 2-Rashid Al Blooshi 35:52.620; 3-Mohsen Hassan Mohammed 36:05.769; 4-Abdulaziz Al Sharafaa 37:08.262; 5-Omar Al Shimmari 37:52.476.
Amateur Emirati – Women: 1-Mouza Al Ghafli 44:00.286; 2-Maryam Al Awadhi 48:39.677; 3-Huda Al Nuaimi 53:44.901; 4-Latifa Al Salman 57:02.584; 5-Marwa Al Amoodi 58:19.640.
Open – Men: 1-Anouar El Ghouz (Morocco) 30:02.229; 2-Abdelali Bouazzaoui (Morocco) 30:27.829; 3-Brahim Slimani (Morocco) 30:48.095; 4-Mubarak Al Marashda (UAE) 31:08.193; 5-Saleh Al Suwaidi (UAE) 31:57.042.
Open – Women: 1-Betihem Desalegn Belayneh (Ethiopia) 35:24.691; 2-Stephanie Humphrey (Great Britain) 40:40.883; 3-Latifa Essarokh (France) 41:07.854; 4-Anastassiya Kolmagorova (Kazakhstan) 41:37.836; 5-Jill Mair (Great Britain) 42:48.270.