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Spartan endurance world champs set for Abu Dhabi

The 2022 Spartan World Championship will take place on a new course in Abu Dhabi this December. (Spartan)
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Updated 25 April 2022
Arab News
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Spartan endurance world champs set for Abu Dhabi

  • Globe’s best obstacle course-racing athletes to compete at new venue in UAE
Updated 25 April 2022
Arab News

ABU DHABI: Some of the world’s leading endurance athletes will compete in the 2022 Spartan World Championship in December over a challenging new course.

This is the second year that Abu Dhabi will host the championships which will feature iconic desert terrain with vast sand dune trails. The venue at Al-Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, is located about 30 minutes outside the capital city’s airport, providing a convenient location for both local and international competitors and participants.

The best Spartan athletes — who qualify throughout the racing season — will compete in the men’s and women’s individual World Championship Super on Saturday, Dec. 3, vying for more than $125,000 in total prize money. The Team World Championship Super will be held on Sunday, Dec. 4.

The event isn’t just for the elite.

The Age Group World Championship Beast and Open Beast will run on Saturday with an Open Team Super, Open Super, Open Sprint, and Kids Open on Sunday, allowing all Spartans the opportunity to test their mettle on the championship course or participate as a family.

“We’re excited to be back in Abu Dhabi after an unreal first year in the desert. We’re putting together a new course that will be one of our hardest yet — whoever leaves with the title is going to earn it,” said Joe De Sena, Spartan founder and CEO. “But just as important is the opportunity for all our Spartans to challenge themselves on the same course as the Elites. If you join us in Abu Dhabi, you’ll leave a different person. You’ll unlock your physical and mental potential.” He thanked the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and its general secretary, Aref Hamad Al-Awani, for their support.

Athletes in the elite and competitive age group divisions can qualify through race series held in 14 countries, two regional championships, or at various wild card events throughout the year. Athletes must reach certain qualifying standards that involve both overall place and finish within a certain time of the winner.

There are no qualifications for the Open Beast over 21 kilometers and 30 obstacles, Open Team Super and Open Super over 10 kilometers and 25 obstacles, or Open Kids divisions.

Al-Awani said that hosting the championship fits within the ADSC’s philosophy of supporting and promoting healthy lifestyles.

“It was a great honor and prestige for Abu Dhabi to host the Spartan World Championship, and we are absolutely thrilled the endurance event is returning to the capital city for the second time in two years,” he said. “This event allows the elite athletes as well as participants at all levels, from men, women and the juniors, to compete. It encourages and creates awareness among the community to lead an active lifestyle to prepare for the competition.

On Saturday, racing begins with the age group event followed by the Open Beast leading into the World Championship Super during the evening.

Sunday features the Open Super, Open Sprint, and the Open Kids races of varying distances. Sunday also includes the Team World Championship at the Super distance and Open Team Super — an event first introduced in 2017.

In 2021, Canadian power couple Ryan Atkins and Lindsay Webster topped the podium in Abu Dhabi. Atkins finished in 2:13:40 to take the men’s World Championship Beast while Webster finished in 2:38:54 to win the women’s World Championship Beast. Meanwhile, France edged out Russia and Canada in 1:09:39 to win the Super 10-kilometer, 25-obstacle team race.

Topics: Spartan race Abu Dhabi UAE

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First all-female rally in MENA region gets underway in Saudi Arabia

Updated 5 sec ago
Arab News
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First all-female rally in MENA region gets underway in Saudi Arabia

  • The event, which runs until Oct. 21, will see pilots and co-pilots competing across Saudi Arabia’s diverse landscapes
Updated 5 sec ago
Arab News

MEDINA: The inaugural Rally A’Shira, the first all-female rally in the Middle East and North Africa sponsored by Richard Mille, got underway on Wednesday.

The event, which runs until Oct. 21, will see pilots and co-pilots competing across Saudi Arabia’s diverse landscapes, beginning in Madinah and ending at the Red Sea.

The rally features 50 participants driving 20 4x4 vehicles. Relying on traditional road maps and kilometer calculations, drivers will navigate the course without digital tools.

The rally is part of a broader effort to align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a national initiative led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to diversify the country’s sporting, social, and cultural landscape.

Rally A’Shira will not only promote women’s participation in motorsport but also highlight Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage and landscapes, organizers said.

The rally’s route includes a stop in AlUla, known for its dramatic rock formations, before concluding at the Red Sea, where participants will stay at the luxury Shebara Resort.

Richard Mille has partnered with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and the Saudi Motorsport Co. to host the event, with BeOnd Jet serving as the aviation partner for the rally.

By combining motorsport with cultural exploration, Rally A’Shira will mark a significant moment for both women in the region and the broader motorsport community, organizers said.

Amanda Mille, brand and partnerships director of Richard Mille, said: “Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s ambitions and Richard Mille’s vision, we are proud to partner with Saudi (Research and) Media Group as our media partner, showcasing and celebrating the spirit of Rally A’Shira and the hidden gems of the Kingdom through their lens.”

Topics: Motorsport Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia motor federation

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88,000 players compete in Saudi Amateur Football League’s 2023-24 season

Updated 44 min 16 sec ago
Arab News
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88,000 players compete in Saudi Amateur Football League’s 2023-24 season

  • 3,050 men’s teams and 19 women’s teams play in 10,376 matches in 620 competitions across 30 leagues nationwide
  • AFL chief Adel Al-Faqih says the association aims to play its part in the development of the sports sector in the Kingdom
Updated 44 min 16 sec ago
Arab News

JEDDAH: A total of 88,025 men and women played in 620 competitions during the 2023-24 season of the Saudi Amateur Football League.
League officials revealed on Wednesday that 87,729 players from 3,050 men’s teams and 296 players representing 19 women’s teams participated in 10,376 matches across 30 leagues throughout the Kingdom.
Adel Al-Faqih, chairperson of the AFL, said the association aims to play its part in the development of the sports sector in Saudi Arabia, with strong support from the country’s leaders, including “the supervision and follow-up” of Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, minister of sports and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The AFL’s specific goals include increasing the proportion of people in the Kingdom who participate in sport, thereby helping to build a vibrant, athletic community that encourages the adoption of positive, healthy lifestyles, Al-Faqih said.
“The association encourages the participation of various age groups in different sports activities, in line with the initiatives of the Quality of Life Program and the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” he added.
Established in 2014, the AFL organizes tournaments throughout the country to help grow and develop the sport, in line with the goals of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

Topics: Amateur Football League Adel Al-Faqih

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England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan

Updated 16 October 2024
(AFP)
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England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan

  • Spinner takes three wickets in space of 10 deliveries during final session
  • England lead series 1-0 after winning first Test by an innings and 47 runs
Updated 16 October 2024
(AFP)

MULTAN: Pakistan spinner Sajid Khan took three wickets in the space of 10 deliveries including centurion Ben Duckett to leave England on 239-6 in the second Test in Multan on Wednesday.
An absorbing second day’s play on a turning pitch ultimately belonged to the hosts, who lead by 127 runs after their first-innings 366.
England had been cruising nicely at 211-2 when Sajid removed Joe Root (34), Duckett (114) and Harry Brook (nine) in the final session.
From the other end, fellow spinner Noman Ali dismissed England skipper Ben Stokes for one as a suddenly rattled England lost four wickets in the space of 14 runs.
At the close, Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse were at the crease with 12 and two respectively.
With the Multan pitch — which was also used for the first Test — offering sharp spin, the home team will be looking for a lead in the first innings for a series-levelling win.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 following their innings and 47 run win in the first Test.
In all, 11 wickets fell on the day with Sajid taking 4-86 and Noman 2-75.
Sajid bowled first Test triple century-maker Brook with a sharp turning delivery while Root — who smashed 262 in the last match — was bowled off an inside edge while sweeping.
Duckett scored aggressively before edging a drive off Sajid to the slip where Salman Agha took a sharp catch.
Before England’s slide it was Duckett who dominated, cracking 16 boundaries in his knock during which he also crossed 2,000 runs in his 28th Test.
Duckett added 73 for the opening stand with Zak Crawley (27), 52 for the second with Ollie Pope (29) and another solid 86 for the next with Root.
He swept spinner Agha for a boundary to reach his fourth Test century off just 120 deliveries, having completed his half-century off just 47 balls.
The hosts used Sajid in the second over as they chased an early England wicket but opener Crawley held out twice.
At 49-0 he survived a run-out when Sajid removed the stumps before grabbing the ball with the England opener out of his crease having being sent back by Duckett.
On 24 Crawley overturned a leg-before decision by New Zealand umpire Chris Gaffaney off Sajid before his luck ran out three runs later.
Crawley was finally caught behind off left-arm spinner Noman as the home team successfully reviewed a not-out decision by Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
Earlier, Pakistan’s tail had frustrated England by adding 107 runs after resuming at 259-5, with Jamal and Noman adding an invaluable 49 runs for the ninth wicket.
But from 358-8 at lunch Jamal was dismissed off the very first ball after the interval, bowled by Brydon Carse, who finished with 3-50.
Spinner Jack Leach ended Noman’s 32-run knock by having him caught in the deep by Carse to finish with 4-114.

Topics: Pakistan cricket England Pakistan series Multan Test

Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’

Updated 16 October 2024
AP
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Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’

  • After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure
  • She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: “I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I’m healthy”
Updated 16 October 2024
AP

NEW YORK: Serena Williams says she had a benign branchial cyst “the size of a small grapefruit” removed from her neck and “all is OK.”
The retired tennis star, who turned 43 last month, posted Wednesday on social media that she found a lump on her neck in May, had an MRI exam, and was told she didn’t need to get it removed if she didn’t want to. So she didn’t then, “but it kept growing,” Williams said.
After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure.


She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: “So this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I’m healthy.”
In a separate social media post, she said she is “still recovering, but getting better. Health always comes first.”
Williams announced her retirement — famously eschewing that term and saying instead she was “evolving” away from professional tennis — shortly before playing in the 2022 US Open, her last tournament.
She won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, the most by a woman in the sport’s professional era, and another 14 in doubles with her older sister Venus. Serena Williams spent more than 300 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings and collected four Olympic gold medals.

Topics: Serena Williams cyst benign

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Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook

Updated 16 October 2024
AFP
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Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook

  • Root overtook Alastair Cook’s 12,472 runs record tally in first Test against Pakistan 
  • His innings was instrumental in ensuring England beat Pakistan by innings and 47 runs
Updated 16 October 2024
AFP

LONDON: Alastair Cook says “generational talent” Joe Root could become the first batter to reach 16,000 Test runs as the retired England captain was named in the ICC’s Hall of Fame.

Root, 33, overtook Cook’s record England tally of 12,472 runs in the first Test of the ongoing series in Pakistan, in which the Yorkshireman scored a mammoth 262.

He is now fifth on the all-time list of runscorers behind Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the way with 15,921, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid, all of whom have retired.

“I think Joe Root could set a mark, certainly on the English side, which will be very hard to beat,” said Cook, who retired from Test cricket in 2018 with a century in his final innings.

“But you just never know. I hope he can get very close, if not be the first person to score 16,000 Test runs. It would be a great achievement but it’s a fair way off yet.”

Cook, 39, said even in a fast-changing landscape, with Test cricket competing for calendar space alongside the white-ball game, it was difficult to say records would stand forever.

“Everyone looked to that Tendulkar record of 200 Test matches and I think quite a few people said, ‘Well, that’s never going to be done’.

“And you’ve got a fast bowler who has played 188 Test matches and taken more than 700 wickets (retired England quick James Anderson).

“So I know the game is changing, the landscape is changing. But something always crops up, someone always does.”

Cook said it was difficult to separate the so-called “Big Four” of Root, India’s Virat Kohli, Steve Smith of Australia and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

“They’re all wonderful, wonderful players, all very different actually in terms of their methods and ways of playing,” he said.

“But one thing which kind of unites them is that hunger and desire to keep improving and keep churning out the runs.

“They are generational players who will always be spoken about, and the fact that you can add Joe Root, whether you put him first, second, third, fourth, all personal opinion, it doesn’t really matter.

“But they are great, great players and make the game, the kind of one which we all started playing, look a lot easier than it is.”

Cook on Wednesday became the 113th payer to be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame, joining alongside retired India spinner Neetu David, a star of the women’s game, and South African multi-format great AB de Villiers.

“It was a surprise,” said the former England skipper. “When you read the list of people that you’re joining, it’s a great list to have joined. So I feel very privileged.”

Cook paid a warm tribute to former England captain Graham Gooch, a predecessor at his county side, Essex.

“A lot of people know about my relationship with Graham Gooch, Essex and England opener and kind of mentor, friend, coach, you name it,” he said.

“He’s kind of done everything for me. So it’s just we never played on the same team. I thank God, probably. Thank goodness, because he was obviously a far better player than me.”

Topics: Harry Brook Pakistan-England Test series

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