The trio of events, for youngsters aged between 5 and 17, was the warm up act for the elite races taking place on Saturday.
Competitors took on the ‘Tiny Triathlete’ – a 50m swim and a 100m run (5 – 8 years), ‘Junior Aquathlon’ featuring a 200m swim and 1.5km run (9 – 15 years), and ‘Junior Triathlon Super Sprint’ which consists of a 375m swim, 10km cycle and a 2.5km run (11 – 17 years).
Fourteen-year-old Dylan Smith won the Under-18 Super Sprint distance and was delighted to have finished in just 00:34:57.
“I’m really happy to come first overall and I had so much fun. I train every day and love triathlon so I’m glad my training paid off today,” said Smith.
Fellow fourteen-year-old Jasmin Grey, from the British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi won the female event.
“I’m really happy, it was a great race and such an amazing event, especially here in Abu Dhabi! Triathlon is my passion, I really enjoy it and I hope to do more races in the future,” said Grey.
Elsewhere in the field, inspirational nine-year-old Oliver Faulkner took part in the Junior Aquathlon and received huge support from spectators on the sidelines.
Faulkner was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was two years old and completed the 200-metre swim and 1.5-kilometre run alongside his mother, Sema.
“It was a lot of fun but a bit harder than I expected. I enjoyed it a lot because my mom was with me,” said Faulkner. “I want to spread the word to any other kids with special needs that sport is for everyone. A child with special needs can do anything any other kid does.”
Race Director for the junior races and President of the Abu Dhabi Triathlon Club, Daniel Hughes was delighted with the turnout and the festival atmosphere.
“These junior events are a great way to encourage youngsters to stay active while having fun, and it was fantastic to see hundreds of kids of all ages and abilities competing in today’s races,” he said.
“Tomorrow we will witness the very best athletes in the world compete on the same course and we hope to see some of our UAE-raised young triathletes in the ITU World Abu Dhabi elite races in years to come.”
The junior races aim to promote healthy lifestyles and bring together local communities through the sport of triathlon.
