Farah Al Marri reaped the benefits of her hard work on Friday night, as she cruised to win in the Amateur Emirati Women's race of the Nad Al Sheba Sport's Tournament's 75km Cycling Championship.

Mukhabbat Umutzhanova of the Dubai Police Department won the Open Category for Women race with a dedicated ride, while Abdulla Salem Al Balooshi (Road Bikes), Rashed Al Dhaheri (Hand Bikes), and Dr. Ahmed Al Omran (Tandem) won the night's three People of Determination category races.

On their tandem bicycle, Dr. Ahmed Al Omran, Advisor to the Executive Council of the Government of Dubai and Chairman of the Advisory Council for People of Determination, was supported by Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, and they took first place with a duration of twenty-six minutes and 50.87 seconds, finishing ahead of Abdulla Al Bastaki (0:41:17.33) and Ahmed A.

Basti applauded Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, for his strong support for sports, saying, "The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament is one of the most popular sporting events here, not only during the Holy Month of Ramadan but all year." It has social and human aspects regarding sporting dimensions because it brings athletes from various nationalities, groups, and levels together to compete in one event side by side, in addition to its function in helping People of Determination by including them in sporting activities.

“It was an honor to join Dr. Ahmed (Al Omran) and support him in the race. It was an amazing opportunity for the two of us to win first place together.”

Dr. Omran continued, "We are delighted with People of Determination's inclusion in the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament Cycling Championship." This validates Dubai's attempts at becoming a bicycle-friendly city. It also represents our wise leadership's engagement in all segments of society and their inclusion in sporting events.”

Marri, who won the Emirati Women's title in the most recent Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament in 2019, defended her title with an outstanding journey, holding off a trio of challengers. The champion finished in two hours, four minutes, and 12.45 seconds, ahead of Shahla Al Hosani (2:04:13.05), Maryam Al Awadhi (2:04:13.28), and Ghaya Al Mehrzi (2:04:13.45). (2:04:13.38). Marri will get a Dhs26,400 winner's cheque, while Hosani will get Dhs20,400 and Awadhi will receive Dhs14,400. Mehrzi and those who preceded her before the ninth place will each earn Dhs4,800.

“I was desperate to win the title here in Nad Al Sheba Cycling Championship,” Marri said.

“It was not an easy process. It was a difficult race, and the short course and participation of experts made it much more competitive and difficult. I wanted to compete with experts and pushed myself to my limits. I was tired by the end, so I could feel the strain in my muscles, but I was determined to succeed. I began training for this race about a month ago, and the training schedule was rigorous and intense, and this victory is the result of my efforts over the last month.”

In the Open Women's division, Kazakhstan's Umutzhanova was driven hard by Ireland's Lorraine Mullarkey, but she won by a bare 01.15 seconds for a Dhs18,000 prize. Umutzhanova finished in 1:59:00.63, while Mullarkey finished in 1:59:01.78 and will get Dhs12,000 for her endeavors. Jordan's Samah Khaled placed third in 2:04:09.31 and will get Dhs9,600, while those finishing fourth to ninth will receive Dhs3,600 each.

“It was a great race for me,” Umutzhanova said. “I had trained extremely well for this event, and I am grateful to my team for that. I'd been training for this race for a month and was looking for a positive outcome. I'm overjoyed.”

“It was a very difficult race tonight,” Mullarkey said. “From the start, the girls on my squad did a lot of attacking, attempting to smash things up, and finally I and another escaped in a break. We worked extremely hard. I am grateful to every one of my teammates.

“Technically, I wouldn't say I trained adequately for this race. I've been riding every day this month. This month, I'm riding 3,000 kilometers; after tonight, I should have 2,500 kilometers. So it wasn't the best race preparation, but my legs feel amazing tonight, and I felt good. I screwed up just a bit at the top, so I'm proud to come in second.”

Mullarkey praised the race organizers, saying, "The management is outstanding." It's great to be able to compete in these conditions and to be able to race comfortably, although we're all socially separated and everybody has to take an exam. It's a lot of fun and a lot of fun to race here.”

In the People of Determination races, Balooshi won the Road Bikes division with a time of 0:46:10.92, earning him a Dhs12,000 winner's cheque. Ahmed Al Badwawi finished second in 0:46:11.29 and will get Dhs9,600, while Sebastian Engwald (0:46:11.58) will receive Dhs7,200 for finishing third. Dhaheri finished first in the Hand Bikes group with a time of 0:26:52.10, ahead of Husain Al Mazam (0:26:52.33) and Badir Al Hosani (26:53.27), and will obtain Dhs12,000, Dhs9,600, and Dhs7,200.