Marwan Al Marri at the top in Dubai Fitness Championship

The UAE’s Marwan Al Marri is at the top of the qualifying leaderboard ahead of another four athletes at the end of the opening week of qualifiers in the second edition of the Dubai Fitness Championship that got under way at various Fitness First Clubs in Dubai.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, this year’s competition is expected to be even more intense than the inaugural edition last year.

The preliminary rounds started last Sunday and after one week, it was Al Marri at the top of the qualifying standings after finishing the fitness regimen in a time of 12:11.22 minutes followed by Hallvard Borsheim of Norway with a second best time so far of 12:27.22 and the UAE’s Faisal Al Marzouqi with 12:53.18 in third place.

Ross Gilmour from Scotland is in fourth with a time of 12:54, and the UAE’s Saud Saif Al Shamsi who was at the top of the standings after the first two days of qualifying found his time of 13:58.40 the fifth best in the qualifying so far.

Launched by Sheikh Majid last year, the championship is aimed at raising the awareness on the importance of exercise and health, while promoting fitness among UAE residents, especially among Emiratis.

The qualifying rounds of the championship will be held over a period of three weeks ending on September 8, leading up to the finals scheduled to be held at a specially set-up circuit on the Dubai Ice Rink at The Dubai Mall from September 12 to 14.

“It’s too early to come to any conclusion at this stage as there are still two more weeks of qualifying left in this competition. The actual rush will be in the final week with the last day attracting the maximum number trying to qualify,” noted Khalid Chookah, Championship Director of the month-long event.

This year, the number of qualifiers for the finals will be 36 each in the male and female categories with the winners in each category walking away with Dh200,000 from the total prize fund of nearly Dh1 million.

The winners of the four qualifying rounds from last year will automatically make it to the finals this year, while participants will be allowed multiple attempts to try and qualify to the finals.

Telephone operator du will be the main sponsor while Dubai Sports Council will be the official partner of the event. Registration can be done through website: dxbfitness.com and residents will be charged a minimal Dh80 every time they opt to participate.
 

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