His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, deputised His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee, to attend the general ceremony at the conclusion of the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Athletics Association.

HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa praised the success of the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain and its level of organisation and preparation, rooted in the Organising Committee’s keenness to ensure all factors of success. HRH praised the achievements of youth in the sports sector in Bahrain, in light of the continuous attention of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, which made Bahrain a special destination for hosting many youth and sports activities.

HRH expressed his pride in the historic achievement of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa in qualifying to the IRONMAN World Championship which will be held in Hawaii in October 2018, after earning the first place in the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship for amateurs and the military, noting the high level demonstrated by HH and his strong determination to score the outstanding sporting achievement, which enabled HH to raise Bahrain’s flag in prominent forums. HRH affirmed that this new achievement by HH Shaikh Nasser is an addition to a series of great accomplishments in various youth and sports events.

On this occasion, HH Shaikh Nasser expressed his great gratitude to HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his generous patronage of the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship and HH's deputisation to attend at the closing ceremony. Moreover, HH expressed his pleasure to qualify for the World Triathlon Championship at Kona and praised the number of participants and their determination to succeed and complete the race. HH affirmed his pride in the success of the championship and the determination of the contestants to achieve this success. He expressed his sincere pride to the sponsoring companies and institutions which contributed to the success of this championship.

It’s worth citing that the closing ceremony was attended by His Highness Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Vice President of the Supreme Council for Environment, President of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation, HE Mr Hesham bin Mohammed Al Jodar, Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs and Mr Abdulrahman Askar, General Secretary of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport.

During the ceremony, the audience celebrated HH Shaikh Nasser’s great achievement, winning first place at the amateur and military levels in the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain. HH was able to finish the race in 4.12.53 hours. HH finished swimming in 28 minutes and 56 seconds, cycling in two hours and 13 minutes, and running in one hour and 27 minutes. Furthermore, HH emerged as champion at Bahrain, GCC and Arab levels. HH surpassed all the participants in the championship, about 2000 in total, among amateurs and professionals in his age group.

Meanwhile, Bahraini athlete Sameera Al Baitar was crowned champion of the women’s category, followed by Mai Hajji and Manal Fakhrawi in second and third place respectively.
Moreover, the sponsoring companies of the event were also rewarded for vastly contributing towards making this event a great success.