JEDDAH, 13 July 2004 — Ibrahim Khalufa, who won the recently organized Triathlon 2004 event, has been nominated the ‘iron man’ for the ongoing Jeddah Summer Festival 2005.
The triathlon, which included a swimming competition consisting of three stages including a 500-meter lap that must be completed, followed by a 20 km biking and a 6 km jogging, was held under the sponsorship of Bison power drink at Al-Ahlam Resort in Obhur, Party Land and Alwan Travel and Tourism’s resort.
“I’m delighted to top the list of winners, but what adds to my happiness is that the championship was held in Jeddah,” Ibrahim Khalufa said, adding that such contests need lots of preparation on the part of an athlete.
Contestants said they found the competition tough and challenging, more so because it was well organized and monitored, and the presence of a large number of spectators was encouraging. The turnout was big to see champions like Ahmed Al-Zahrani in action.
At a prize distribution ceremony held to mark the end of the competition, Ibrahim Khalufa received the Championship Cup along with a gold medal and SR5,000. The second, third, fourth and fifth winners received cups, medals and cash prizes ranging from SR4,000 to SR1,000, in that order. Ten other contestants received consolation prizes. Wael Yamani, operations manager at ARA, presented the awards.
Khalid Hasnawi, of Khalid PR & Marketing and head of the organizing committee, said the efforts of the organizers were well rewarded by the public who demonstrated a positive response to the championship.
“From the beginning, we were keen to stage the championship at the right place, especially swimming events on the Red Sea coast and all participants like the venue,” he said and thanked all those who contributed toward making the first such event a success.
