Oman's Sulaiman Al Alawi ran a near perfect race to outsmart hot favourite Roy Nasr and win the first-ever Middle East Traithlon yesterday.

Sulaiman Al Alawi (centre), Roy Nasr (right) and Shadi Hassan celebrate their triumph after the inaugural Middle East Triathlon.

The Omani's flawless strategy in staying under the shadow of his more famed opponent paid rich dividends as he crossed the line with a time of 1 hour, 9.50 minutes.

Al Alawi was quite happy to keep Nasr within sights throughout the race. As the two swimmers went in for the 750 metre swim, Nasr went ahead, only to see Al Alawi catch up with him.

The 20km bike run too was evenly poised as the 32-year-old Al Alawi refused to allow Nasr to take any substantial lead.

It was on the 5km run leg that Al Alawi broke free as he overtook Nasr within the opening half kilometre and power home for the title.

"I knew it was important for me to keep Roy within my sights. This was a simple strategy and I think it worked to perfection," Al Alawi said.

"I've trained hard all along, but not necessarily with this event in mind," the Omani said.

"I heard about this triathlon some three weeks before and decided to come over and see what it was all about," he added.

"I put in a lot of effort and finished the swim feeling great. On the bike he finished probably around 45 seconds before me, but I did not worry as I knew I could catch him on the run and I just took the chance when I had it."

Al Alawi being sponsored by the Ministry of Sport Affairs in Oman to compete in the Japan Ironman on May 22 said he is delighted to be the inaugural winner.

"I have been working hard to improve myself with every event," said the Omani who started serious triathlon participation some five years back. "I am delighted to be the first winner," he beamed.

Al Alawi was also pleased at the response to the inaugural event.

"But I hope there will be more UAE nationals coming forward and doing triathlons," Al Alawi hoped.

The Omani's sights are now firmly set on competing at the Doha Asian Games next year, where triathlon is one of the two sports set to make its debut.

"I hope to represent Oman at the Asian Games next year," Al Alawi admitted.

"I want to focus on that for now and compete for my country." The International Open Male event was won by Sergius Olejniczaj from Poland who took the honours in a time of 1.01.33.

He was also presented with the Uwe Gunther Memorial Trophy an award given to the top UAE resident triathlete.

"It was a very good event for me," Olejniczaj said.

"I have been training for five months for this one, so I am delighted to win the event today."

Winner of the International Open Female race was Paula Mulligan, who was also awarded the Veronica Hookstead Memorial Trophy for her dedication to the sport in the UAE.

Making the event even more memorable for Mulligan was the fact it was also her first-ever triathlon win.

"This is very special for me," Mulligan said after finishing with a time of 1:20.59. "To win my first triathlon at such a big race and be presented with this award is just brilliant.

"I have trained very hard for this all year," she said.

Race Director Rory McRae said he was proud at the successful staging of the event.

"Today shows how far the sport has come in this region and we are very pleased that we attracted a cross-section of athletes from around the Middle East," McRae said.

"Triathlon is a fast growing sport in the Middle East and I think the support and the numbers we have indicates how far it has come and what a bright future we have."

The inaugural version of this event attracted more than 250 athletes from 13 countries across the Middle East.

Results

Middle East Open Male: 1. Sulaiman Al Alawi; 2. Roy Nasr; 3. Shadi Hassan.
International Open Male: 1. Sergius Olejniczaj; 2. Ian Le Pelley; 3. Arnaud Brunetto.
International Open Female: 1. Paula Mulligan; 2. Karen Betton; 3. Clare Constable.
International Veteran Male: 1. Noel Kirkaldy; 2. Mark Sadowski; 3. Martin Bell.
International Veteran Female: 1. Jane Collison; 2. Helen Rodd; 3. Nicole Bauman.
International Team Male: 1. Nad Al Sheba Team; 2. Aissam Ghettas Team; 3. Wolfis Bike Shop Team.
International Team Female: 1. Hurricanes Team; 2. C-cubed Team; 3. Waldenstrom Team.
Junior Aquathon U-18 Male: 1. Daniel McLennan; 2. Nicholas Benintende; 3. Alistair Blincow.
Juniors Aquathon U-18 Female: 1. Kimberly Hall; 2. Lauren Evans.
Juniors Aquathon U-15 Male: 1. Matthew Rivers; 2. Samuel Adamson; 3. Maxence Adam.
Junior Aquathon U-15 Female: 1. Jennifer Adamson; 2. Kristyna Kolarova; 3. Phofia Rodd.