Abu Dhabi: ‘An Olympic dream’ is one of sport’s most banal aspirations and one which very few sportsmen fulfil. Yet Lawrence Fanous, the Arab world’s leading triathlete, insists his hopes of reaching Rio 2016 are far from futile and definitely not borne of overconfidence or delusion.
The 29-year-old Jordanian has become a passionate advocate for the triathlon and is eager to inspire other Arabs to take up the gruelling endurance discipline.
“My Olympic dream is very much on and my chances [of reaching Rio 2016] are very good,” the UK-based athlete told Gulf News following his appearance at the TriYAS triathlon at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi last month.
“I am one of only a handful of Arab triathletes with a chance of making it to Rio and, without trying to be too overconfident, I have the best chance of making it by far.
“I say this because I am currently the only one with the required world ranking to even be considered for the Games. There are multiple ways that I can qualify and most are very complicated, but I have a very good grasp of what I have to do and where I am in the process.
“I am currently ranked 120th in the world rankings and am in the top 100 in the Olympic rankings.”
Amman-born Fanous moved to the UK with his family at the age of five, but remains a fervent patriot and says he receives staunch support from his native land.
Fanous, who took up triathlon at the age of 13 after a teacher at Nottingham High School encouraged him in view of his all-round sporting prowess, said: “I have strong backing from all the people who matter in the process — my national federation, the Jordan Triathlon Committee. They help me in any way they can, but with limited funding there is only so much they can do.
“They are completely behind me as I am at the forefront of triathlon in the country and I thank them for that. I am on both the International Triathlon Union’s (ITU) Development Scholarship and the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity Programme. These are both designed to help talented athletes from developing and emerging nations such as Jordan to get to the Olympic Games.”
He went on: “If I am being completely honest, just qualifying for Rio would be the greatest achievement of my career. Winning a medal is something that I will think about if I make it to the Games, so I will be keeping my eye firmly on the qualifying until May next year, when the qualifying ends.
“If I do make it to Rio 2016, I would be the first ever Jordanian to compete in the triathlon and only the second ever triathlete to represent an Arab country at the Olympic Games. This would be a massive achievement not just for me, but also for all of the Arab triathlon community.
“Hopefully it will be a way of paving the way for the next athletes from Arab countries to go on and do as good as and better than me in the future.”
Fanous says his participation at this weekend’s ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi, as well as the recent TriYAS event — where he finished eighth — are vital in his bid to be an example to other Arabs.
“For me, being able to race on the world-famous Yas Marina F1 Circuit was a huge draw to this race,” he said. “As an Arab athlete, I try to compete within the region as much as possible and it is important to give locals something to shout about.
“I am the highest-ranked Arab athlete in the world and have been Arab Tri Champion for the last two years. This puts me at the forefront of Arab triathlon. I am proud of this position and of what I have achieved and I take the role seriously.
“Firstly I want to inspire other Arab sportsmen and women to compete in triathlon. More great events like TriYAS will help that by giving local people the opportunity to try the sport.”
Fanous said that his pioneering exploits have been galvanised by his inclusion in the new professional Arab triathlon team — Alameda O.N.
He said: “The primary aim of the team is to promote triathlon in the Arab region and to find future world and Olympic champions. The team is supporting myself and three other great pro triathletes in spreading the word and getting people involved and active in triathlon.
“We will be setting up training workshops, doing school visits and eventually trying to set up training academies all over the Arab region. It is my belief that in a region with so many millions of people, it is a mathematical fact that there has to be someone in there capable of becoming an Olympic or world champion.
“Our job is to reach those people, nurture their talent and show them what it takes to get to the very top of the sport.
“This really excites me as I love the idea that the next Alistair Brownlee [the 2012 Olympic champion] or Javier Gomez [the London 2012 silver medallist and four-time world champion] could be somewhere out there in the Middle East and North Africa — we just have to find them.”
