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The Bahrain Victorious 13 has successfully wrapped up their annual team camp in Bahrain, writes Lisa Pringle.
Featuring racing, training sessions and school visits, and inspirational speaking engagements, the camp underlined the team’s vision to pursue excellence on the highest level, help grow the Kingdom’s sport scene and inspire future Bahrain sports stars.
In his first time to race in the kingdom, Vincent Luis won the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain. A Bahrain Victorious 13 athlete has won this race every year it has been held since 2015; Luis’ win continues the team’s legacy of headlining Bahrain’s biggest endurance event.
Jan Frodeno, Alistair Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, and Cassandre Beaugrand did the swim legs for local relay teams, while Kristian Blummenfelt ran a 1:08 half marathon to anchor Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s team and consolidate a podium finish.
Every year’s camp gives Bahrain youth access to - and inspiration from - the world’s best athletes through school visits, training sessions, and community events.
Olympic gold medallists Frodeno, Brownlee, Blummenfelt, and Taylor-Brown visited Bahrain Bayan School to keep up with the kids’ progress from the previous team visit and remind them what values sport brings to apply in their lives. Blummenfelt, Luis, and Henri Schoeman conducted several training sessions with The Triathlete Factory Juniors Academy, the first junior triathlon academy in Bahrain. Team members also came out in full force to cheer on and give out medals to participants at the IronKids event, and caught up with Bahrain’s emerging triathlon talent Abdulrahman Alhasan.
The Bahrain Victorious 13 also hosted the inaugural Victorious Women’s Forum as part of race week and in celebration of Bahraini Women’s Day. The event was graced by Shaikha Sheema bint Nasser Al Khalifa in her first official engagement, with three-time Ironman 70.3 Middle East champion Holly Lawrence, Olympic gold and silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown, and Olympic bronze medallist Cassandre Beaugrand speaking about their experiences as leading women in sport.
“From when we first started coming here as a team until now, we’ve seen the endurance sports scene boom, thanks to the efforts of our patron and team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa,” says Chris McCormack, Bahrain Victorious 13 chief executive.
The pathways for progression in the sport to the elite level have also been laid, from school programmes to dedicated junior kids training and on to World Triathlon regional racing through the national federation.
“Bahrain Victorious 13 is the most successful triathlon team in the world; when you have them returning to Bahrain every year to work with the youth and community, there’s no doubt that their culture of success inspires more and more people in the region to take an interest in health, wellness, and healthy competition in sport at all levels.”
For details, follow @bahrainvictorious13 on Instagram.
