Alkass Digital
Members of the Qatar National Triathlon Team have headed to Slovenia for some valuable training and competition experience prior to the end of the European season and the start of domestic racing. This time the team are joined by members of the development squad who, in experiencing this kind of training camp environment for the first time, are laying the foundations for future success in one of Qatar’s newest but fastest growing sports.
Their destination is Novo Mesto, a hub for elite cycling in a country which is something of a sporting paradise – its tiny population is easily outnumbered by trees, through which run extensive networks of cycling and running trails. Lakes and rivers suitable for open water swimming are also plentiful, the most famous of which is the picturesque Lake Bled.
This is the starting point of one of two competitions in which the team will participate. While this Olympic distance event connects two of the country’s notable beauty spots with a 40km bike between Bled and Bohinj lakes – swimming 1500m in the former and running 11km around the latter. A week later, the second race is the sprint distance Slovenian Cup, entirely within the capital city of Ljubljana. These races were to have been in preparation for the Arab Cup in Morocco but, with that event cancelled due to Covid-19, the focus turns to building up for the Asian Cup in Doha at the end of November.
Speaking from Novo Mesto, the tour’s Administration Officer, Fahad Al Groon, told us, “For the first time we have identified some young talent to train with the senior team.”
“In doing this, we are building a future for our sport. Our seniors have had some good results in the recent races in Egypt but they need more experience and this has been hard to get in recent years. By combining some European triathlon with an intensive training camp, we expect to see the entire team take a leap forward in the coming seasons. These are exciting times to be involved with this sport in Qatar”.
Qatar’s National Triathlon Team, represented by Fahad al Mohammed, Tamim al Kuwari, Mohamed al Kaabi, Abdulla al Kaabi, Abdulaziz al Jaber, Shaheen al Kaabi, Fahad al Kaabi and Abdulhadi al Maraghi are in Novo Mesto from 18th August to 8th September, supported by Fahad Al Groon and coach Mouhcine Rhaili with medical support from Mehdi Moussaoui.