Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad affirms readiness for Iron Man Championship

Cape Town, Apr 3 (BNA) -- Bahrain triathlon team members have reached South Africa to participate in the upcoming Iron Man Championship. Leading the team was Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and First Deputy Chairman of the SCYS and President of Bahrain Athletic Association HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The team was received by senior officials of the organising committee, who briefed SCYS Chairman and First Deputy Chairman about the preparations and procedures taken by the committee to ensure the success of the international event. On the occasion HH Shaikh Nasser stated that the team is well prepared to compete in the championship, following early training to be on the highest physical and technical levels in order to reinforce the kingdom’s recent achievement in the ‘Challenge Philippines’ triathlon championship. HH Shaikh Nasser pointed to the tough competition expected in the championship, affirming that team members have been following long-hour training schedules to improve their endurance and stamina. He also said that team members are keen on achieving the best results to honour the kingdom in such an important intercontinental championship. On his part, HH Shaikh Khalid stated that participating in the championship comes to confirm Bahraini team member’s keenness on taking part and competing in international sport events. He affirmed that the competition will be challenging considering the skilled players taking part in the championship. At the same time, HH Shaikh Khalid guaranteed that team members will sure achieve the best results, especially after the daily training sessions that they have been conducting. Heavy showers hinder training During the team’s outdoor running, swimming and cycling training, HH Shaikh Nasser asked the team members to pause their training sessions due to bad weather conditions. He directed to postpone training because of unexpected heavy and thundery rainfall, considering team members safety. The team resumed training the next day, when the weather was more stable. Female members training Female team members were led by Coach Michael Calahora in a separate cycling training session. Mr. Calahora stated that female team members are generally on a good level and their performance is very promising, considering it their first international experiment. Technical meeting HH Shaikh Nasser and team members participated in the technical meeting held by the organising committee to brief the participants about the course of the race and to explain the rules and regulations followed by the International Triathlon Union (ITU).