Abu Dhabi were crowned the overall winners at the Desert Open Figure Skating Championship, finishing 139 points clear of runners-up Al Nasr Leisureland.
The two-day competition saw over 100 skaters aged between four and 45 from UAE as well as Cyprus, Qatar and Oman, judged on their technique and footwork in three categories – artistic, spotlight and technical.
Held at Zayed Sports City ice rink in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Ladies Club completed the top three as they were unable to upset the dominant hosts.
Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team coach Zsolt Kerekes was delighted at being named winners after accumulating 257 points.
“The two days were very interesting and competitive and there were a lot of participants from beginners all the way to advanced skaters,” said Kerekes.
“It was very nice to win this competition and hopefully the skaters will be able to learn from this experience."
Dubai-based Amira Abdul Moati, Ice Stars Skating pupil, began her preparations for next month’s Latvian Figure Skating Championship with two bronze medals and a fourth place finish.
“It feels good to have won these medals,” said the 14-year-old Egyptian. “The competition was as tough as previous years (since the first edition in 2010).
“It was my fourth time competing here but felt I should’ve done better, although I’m still satisfied with what I have achieved,” added Moati, who has less than two weeks to prepare for the Latvia competition (May 7 to 9).
“The Latvian competition is the biggest of the year for me so far and I don’t have much time but I will have to train hard to do well.”
Watched by approximately 150 people, Moati’s mother and coach Larissa Zaplatinskaia hopes this event can grow bigger in the UAE.
“This is a big ice skating championship in the UAE. There were fantastic performances and we hope this will be the start of something big in the country,” she said. “There’s not many events like this and we want more to be hosted.”
