Dubai: Moroccan Anouar Al Ghouz and Betlhem Belayneh of Ethiopia won the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, in the 10km open category of the NAS Running Challenge held as part of the Seventh Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament, late on Saturday.
With more than 1,600 athletes of all ages and nationalities taking to the Meydan road, it was Al Ghouz and Belayneh finishing at the top in the men’s and women’s categories with quick times.
Al Ghouz, who works for Dubai Police, topped the charts in the men’s category of the 10km race with a time of 30:54 minutes to finish ahead of Ahmad Tamri (31:00) and Samir Jouaher (31:43), while former UAE athlete Belayneh was fastest in the 10km women’s category with a time of 36:05 minutes leaving Belainesh Gurmu (37:03) and Rahma Ali (39:50) in second and third places, respectively.
Mubarak Rashid was first to cross the line in a time of 32:35 minutes to claim the 10km race for UAE nationals, followed by Obaid Al Nuaimi (32:56) and Khalifa Al Nuaimi (33:44). Morocco added a second title after Soufiane Dardour won the 5km Open men’s race in a time of 12:31 minutes leaving Ethiopia’s Yassin Ebba (12:43) in second and countryman Rachid Draoua (12:44) in third.
Meanwhile, Noor Bank and Mideast Metals kept their qualifying hopes alive with easy wins in the cricket competition being held in Jebel Ali. Beaten by Abu Dhabi Tigers in their first match, Noor Bank bounced back to defeat Chalhoub Group by 51 runs, while Mideast Metals, who had lost to Hadaf Sporting RAK in their opener, defeated Wolfpack Cricket Club by 47 runs to earn a bonus point.
There are 24 eight teams taking part in the tournament. They have been divided into eight group of three each, and the top team from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
