ABU DHABI // Their teammates and team name may change, but Richard and Elina Ussher remain remarkably consistent in the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.
The husband and wife from New Zealand were on the winning team for the fourth consecutive year yesterday, teaming with two other Kiwis to win the title for the Thule Adventure Team.
They won all nine sections in the six-day endurance race, including yesterday's 33km kayak race around Lulu Island.
Thule Adventure - the Usshers, plus Marcel Hagener and Nathan Fa'avae - won by more than 80 minutes from the Thule Adventure Europe team, from France.
"The universal camaraderie, energy and will to win just cannot be measured. It is always special to win a race, but to do so four times in a row is unbelievable," Richard Ussher said.
"We've had a fantastic week together and the race's new-look format was a thrilling experience. We need to see more of races of such diversity elsewhere around the world."
Jacky Boisset, the captain of Thule Adventure Europe, said he was satisfied to take the runners-up position but challenged Ussher and company for the 2011 race.
"We are very happy as this year's second place is better than all our previous results," Boisset said. "If we won the race, there would probably be no reason for us to come back. We'll be back to do it again next year and we'll do everything we can to beat Ussher's team. The strategy for 2011 is just one word: win."
During the six days, athletes from 48 teams swam, mountain biked, canoed, climbed, kayaked and navigated their way through the deserts, mountains and waters of Abu Dhabi.
Forty-eight teams completed the Challenge, including 30 who were competing for the first time.
"The fact that 48 teams, including all the rookies, came back safely after six days ... demonstrates how this event is improving international standards and developing the domestic talent pool and pedigree of endurance athletes," said Faisal al Sheikh, the events manager for Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
Thule Adventure's final time was 45hrs, 44mins and 47secs. Thule Adventure Europe was second, followed by Wenger (Switzerland), Adidas Terrex (UK) and Netcompetence (Sweden).
Bernhard Hug, the Wenger captain, was pleased with the third-place finish. "I never expected to reach the podium and we are very proud we did," Hug said. "It was hard to be motivated today after a full day's rest yesterday, so to get that consistency of performance back straight away is no small achievement."
Among the eight local teams, the best finish was recorded by the 2XU Blackberry team, who took 15th overall. EcoRacers were next, 30th overall.
"This is a very good result based on the amount of training we did," Darryl Chiles, the 2XU Blackberry team captain, said. "Although the race was much tougher than last year, I like the new design because it keeps the event fresh."
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
Company%20Profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Sunday's games
All times UAE:
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm
Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm
Everton v Watford, 8.30pm
Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The%20specs
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The%20Kitchen
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