RIYADH: With only 10 days notice, Alsharif Faisal Alharith accepted the Saudi Triathlon Federation’s nomination as their candidate to participate in one of the most intense sporting competitions in the world.
The 30-year-old from Jeddah is the first Saudi, Arab and Muslim to enter the inaugural Super League Triathlon Arena Games, the finals of which take place in Singapore on May 6-7, where the world’s best endurance athletes will battle it out to be crowned the event’s first-ever world champion.
“It’s important for Saudis to compete in such competitions so that they can pave the way for the next generation, so we can see more Saudis compete in the Olympics and get medals,” Alharith told Arab News. “My personal aspiration for the future is to enter the Olympics.
Saudi triathlete Alsharif Faisal Alharith gets first place in local competition.
“Thanks to his royal highness the minister of sport, we formed the Saudi (Triathlon) Federation and through them we’re now able to compete globally. It means a lot for me to participate in the Arena Games and I think it means a lot for Saudis to see a Saudi participate in such a race.”
The Super League Triathlon’s Arena Games concept was born during the COVID-19 pandemic and has grown in popularity each year, drawing a huge audience thanks to its innovative and exciting blend of real and virtual racing.
This year, Super League Triathlon partnered with World Triathlon to stage the Arena Games Triathlon series, the finals of which take place this weekend at Singapore’s Marina Bay. They follow races in Munich and London, and the male and female athletes who have performed best across all three races will be crowned the event’s first world champions.
Alharith will compete in the heats on Friday, with those who perform best in them progressing to the finals on Saturday. The heats include two stages, each of which includes swimming, cycling and running. The swimming section takes place in the real world, while the cycling and running take place on smart trainers and treadmills in the virtual world of Zwift, which is described as the world’s “leading online training and racing platform” and provides each athlete with an avatar and real-time, detailed data on their performance.
The athletes have to complete each round in less than 16 minutes or be eliminated, and face the added challenge of the order of the disciplines being shuffled for each stage.
“It’s a very exciting format,” said Alharith. “It’s a 200 meter swim and then a 4 kilometer bike and a 1 km run. And then, after that, we’re going to do a 1 km run and then a 4 km bike and then a 200 meter swim.
“The competition will be extremely fierce. For example, Alex Yee will be competing, who was the silver medalist in the Tokyo Olympics, which is amazing.”
Saudi triathlete Alsharif Faisal Alharith in Singapore on Thursday for training.
Alharith has his own goals for his performance during the event.
“For me, it’s about doing the best I can and not being disqualified and then, obviously, try to see if I can get a position,” he said.
“The main focus is to learn from the amazing athletes there and to show that we’re all human and the only difference is that the athletes put more into training than other people, and through training everything is possible.”
Despite being an athlete for most of his life, Alharith only began cycling in 2014. He entered and won a handful of local competitions before being asked to join the Saudi national cycling team but by then he had discovered the triathlon and in 2016 started to focus on that.
“My passion is triathlon,” he said. “I love the three sports, which are swimming, cycling, running. I feel like that’s more my element. It was very tough before the federation (was founded). Again, I’d like to thank (the minister of sport) for what he did for us.
“Through the Saudi Triathlon Federation, everything became easier. Now I can compete globally, I can get all my equipment without thinking about it and I can focus only on training.”
According to Alharith, athletes who compete in this weekend’s event can earn points that could help them qualify for the Olympics, based on how well they perform.
“For me, it’s only a matter of time — it’s not if I enter the Olympics, but when I enter the Olympics,” he said.
“The message here is do the work when no one’s watching. That’s the main message because motivation only lasts for five to 10 seconds but when you can fight through it and do the work when no one’s watching, that’s when you know you will reach your goals.”