Mahir clinches gold in Arab Mountain Biking

MUSCAT: Tunisian Mahir al Habouri clinched the gold in the second Arab Mountain Biking Championship hosted by the Sultanate on Monday. The Oman Cycling Committee organised the event for the first time from November 17 to 19. Shaikh Saad bin Mohammed al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, was the chief guest for the concluding ceremony at the Royal Amy of Oman’s (RAO) range in presence of Shaikh Faisal bin Humaid al Qasimi, Chairman of the Arab Cycling Federation. Al Habouri finished the 33.5 km race in 1hour 28 minutes and 18 seconds to claim the top spot. Moroccan Mohammed Zarhoun took the silver by finishing second (1:28:26) and his compatriot Waleed Azdad claimed the bronze (1:36:09). Omani cyclist Shabib al Balushi finished sixth. Lebanese cyclists Zahir al Hajj and Emil Dhaw, came in the fourth and fifth places. The tournament involved seven Arab countries namely the Sultanate, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan. — ONA