DUBAI // Whether they were dragging a lorry along a track or lifting a boulder above their heads, it was all in a day’s work for the real-life supermen competing in the Strongmen Champions League World Series final on Saturday.
Hundreds of spectators turned up to the Sun and Sand Sports Fitness Fest at the Skydive Dubai in Dubai Marina to watch the 10 competitors heave massive weights around with the hope of being named the Strongest Man in the World.
The challenges included dead-lifting a 450kg car on a trailer from the floor 12 times, carrying rocks weighing up 130kg or running a course while hoisting a 100kg sandbag.
“We started with 100 athletes for 16 stages all over the world and we finished with the top 10 who fought the whole year - and we are here in Dubai for the final stage,” said Marcel Mostert, director and presenter of the competition.
Among the competitors was Martin Wildaver from Austria. He was impressed by the scenic setting and the enthusiastic support from onlookers but he said the climate added to the challenge.
“It was hot for our bodies so we sweat a lot, which made us get tired and made it hard to compete in this weather,” the 28-year-old said.
Thankfully, the challenges only required short bursts of energy.
“Each [challenge] was one minute, but we had to prepare ourselves for each one and there were breaks between competitions which made our bodies calm down and then warm up again and that was really hard for our bodies,” he said.
As well as the strongman competition, there were also of plenty of other activities to get involved with, including obstacle courses, belly dancing classes, a climbing wall and a running track.
“The two-day festival’s idea was that we wanted to create an awareness about fitness in the community. It is aimed at everybody who wants to get fit,” said Chloe Winstanley, marketing manager and organiser of the event.
“Also, for people who do not have to be athletes or go to the gym, they just come down to the festival, learn about all activities as cycling, football and samba and find out how to live a healthy lifestyle and learn how to look after themselves properly.”
Asif Shaikh, 30, an Indian, attended on the last day of the festival to try out some activities.
“I am into fitness and I came to get all information I need about CrossFit as lessons and locations that I was not able to get from other places in Dubai,” said Mr Shaikh, a project manager.
“The festival was very cool, it had many activities and every thing at one place with a lot of fitness options.”
Zaher Moukhal, 30, a professional bodybuilder from Lebanon, said he was inspired by the strongman competition.
“The organisation and various activities were amazing,” he said. “It is fabulous to have professional athletes here in Dubai.”
The winner of the strongman competition was Dainis Zageris from Latvia.
roueiti@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
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Started: 2021
Founders: Nuha Hashem and Alok Kumar
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Industry: FinTech
Funding size: $3m
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JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
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Creator: Netflix
Stars: Kris Fade, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Zeina Khoury
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Supy
Started: 2021
Founders: Dani El-Zein, Yazeed bin Busayyis, Ibrahim Bou Ncoula
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food and beverage, tech, hospitality software, Saas
Funding size: Bootstrapped for six months; pre-seed round of $1.5 million; seed round of $8 million
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- Diriyah’s 1.9km King Salman Boulevard, a Parisian Champs-Elysees-inspired avenue, is scheduled for completion in 2028
- The Royal Diriyah Opera House is expected to be completed in four years
- Diriyah’s first of 42 hotels, the Bab Samhan hotel, will open in the first quarter of 2024
- On completion in 2030, the Diriyah project is forecast to accommodate more than 100,000 people
- The $63.2 billion Diriyah project will contribute $7.2 billion to the kingdom’s GDP
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EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
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