ABU DHABI // Sir Baniyas School took a one-two finish in the junior short distance triathlon on the second day of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club's water festival. The team made up of Qasim Saleh, Ali Saad and Abdulaziz Abdi emerged winners at the Breakwater from their teammates comprising Hussain Saleh, Ibrahim Ahmed and Abdulla al Gilani in the competition titled "The Iron Boys".
Mohammed bin Khalid School, made up of Ahmed Moosa, Madiha Ali and Rayib Khalid, finished third in the competition that drew more than 150 students. The children were also tested in a long distance sea swim in which Abdulla Sulaiman of Al Ain Club took the first place in the six-kilometre Under 17 category. Gharib al Minhali of Ain and Mahdi Ali of Al Wahda finished second and third. Ali Naseeb of Ain won the 4km U15 race from Al Wasl's Omar Mohammed Ahmed and Hussain Mohammed, and Abdulla Yousef of Wasl took the 2km U12 swim from Ain's Abdulaziz Mazhoud and Mohammed Khamis.
The event was another first in the newly-themed festival of the club in the run-up to the Abu Dhabi grand prix, the penultimate leg of the UIM Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship. The aqua bikes will be in action on the water today and the F1 powerboats roar into the championship round over the next two days, the highlight of the five-day festival. "It is a trial year and we hope to add more such events for the youth and juniors," said Khalid al Saadi of the club.
"The idea is to get as many children involved in the festival and provide the holiday crowd some spectacular action in the water." Today's aqua bikes will be in action from 9am and again in the second session from 2pm. apassela@thenational.ae