> Hamda Mohammed Abdullah Hamdan dominated the female category; Al-Khatiri, Al-Kutbi and Al-Nuaimi won first places in various age groups in the male category

Dubai, 7 November 2022: The first preliminary race for the National Day Camel Marathon, organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), witnessed the holding of competitions for three different age groups for the first time over the weekend at Dubai Camel Racing Club’s Al Marmoom Race Track.

A separate category was also allocated for female participants that saw Emirati camel rider Hamda Mohammed Abdullah Hamdan dominating the field in the 16 to 19 years old group.

The National Day Camel Marathon  is held annually in conjunction with the Arabian Camel Festival under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The main event of the National Day Camel Marathon will be held on January 6, 2023.

Results

Ali Matar bin Dahroui Al-Amri won first place in the 4km race for those 19 years old and below with a time of 6min and 59.04 seconds. He was followed by Hamdan Farhan Ali Musleh Al-Ahbabi, who finished in 7min and 91 seconds.

In the 20 to 29 years old category, Salem Hamad Saeed Al-Malhouf Al-Ketbi finished the 4km distance in 6min and 53.11 seconds to finish first place. He was followed by Ahmed Abdullah Muhammad bin Al-Muharrami with a time of 7min and 14.31 seconds, while Suhail Muhammad Suhail Al-Hamiri came third with a time 7min and 17.66 seconds.

In the 30 years old and above category, Khaled Ali Saif Al-Nuaimi grabbed the top spot with a time of 7min and 9.37 seconds, while Yahya Ali Saeed Al-Malayi came in close second place with a time of 7min and 15.28 seconds, and Khamis Ali Saeed Al-Mallai finished third 7 minutes and 18.21 seconds.

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Honouring the winners

His Excellency Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, CEO of HHC, witnessed the race and honoured the winners. He said: “This year, we have launched three categories in the National Day Camel Marathon in response to the proposal by the Dubai Camel Racing Club to take into account the age differences and to level the playing field for the participants.”

He added preliminary races are held to allow participants to get more training opportunities and be more familiar with the racetrack before the main event next year.

Meanwhile, Khaled Al-Nuaimi, who won first place in the 30-and above age group, said he the first preliminary race was a good indicator to assess the abilities of each participant. “As for me, I will train more to achieve my goal of winning the cup,” he added.

Next race

The second preliminary race is scheduled on December 2, coinciding with the country’s 51st National Day celebrations, and the main marathon will be held on January 6 next year.