UAE cyclists continue to make their mark at Arab Championships

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  • Era of champions: Majid Al Balooshi.

    UAE cycling is witnessing a ‘golden generation’ according to Majid Al Balooshi, who yesterday helped the hosts pull-off a sensational one-two in the scratch race at the Arab Championships.

    For the past decade, Yousif Mirza has been the man at the forefront of cycling in the emirates and his latest efforts at the Asian Championships road race in Thailand saw him become the first-ever Emirati cyclist to qualify to an Olympic Games.

    But yesterday at the Zayed Velodrome in Sharjah, it was Al Balooshi who crossed the finish line first in the gruelling 40-lap scratch race to take gold, leaving Mirza to settle for silver. It was a result that made both Emiratis ecstatic.

    “This is the first individual gold of my career so I couldn’t be happier,” a breathless Al Balooshi said. “I have to thank our coach Abdulla Suwaidan as well as our champion Yousif Mirza.

    “The competition was really stiff over the 40 laps, first from the Qataris, then the Iraqis. I took advantage of the fact that all eyes were on Yousif Mirza, him being an incredible champion, and I managed to sneak away with the gold.

    “I’m lucky that I am competing in this era, which I believe has a golden generation of cyclists in the UAE. It’s an era of champions and I’m learning a lot from them.”

    Mirza was a big winner over the four-day event having claimed gold in the individual and team pursuit, the points race as well as the omnium. He was thrilled to see Al Balooshi top the podium.

    “It’s a dream for me to see other Emiratis get on that podium,” said Mirza, who is No4 on the UCI Asia Tour rankings. “The development in cycling here over the past two years has been tremendous. It’s a huge leap. Our rulers all practise cycling regularly, just look at their Instagram and Facebook pages…

    “Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, I personally went on rides with them and it’s a dream of any athlete to share your favourite sport with your rulers.

    “Now we have the Dubai Tour and the Abu Dhabi Tour in the UAE – two professional races, we never dreamed of having that. It’s fantastic.”

    The UAE topped the medals table of the Arab Track Championships with 21 medals – nine gold, six silver and six bronze. Morocco placed second with 20 medals including seven gold, while Egypt were third a total of 13 medals including seven gold.

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