KUWAIT CITY: Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al-Mulla on Saturday secured a fourth consecutive freestyle crown in the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship with another dominant display at the Grand Prix of Kuwait.
The Emirati’s latest triumph came after Abu Dhabi teammate Emma-Nellie Ortendahl won the ladies’ title in the Parallel Slalom World Championship staged under floodlights on Friday evening.
Extending a winning run that stretches back four years, Al-Mulla took back-to-back victories in Kuwait for his 28th successive moto triumph and 13th overall grand prix success in a row.
His dominance of the world freestyle series has not been seriously threatened since his first grand prix win back in November 2017, and he once again had far too much power and style for nearest challenger Roberto Mariani of Italy to challenge.
Ortendahl had seen off fellow Swede Jonna Borgstrom on her way to Friday night’s ladies’ slalom final, where she beat Estonia’s Jasmiin Ypraus.
Ultimately, the three-time Ski Ladies GP1 world champion had to accept runners-up spot behind Borgstrom in this year’s title race after a battling display in Kuwait.
Following her victory in Friday afternoon’s second moto, Ortendahl finished second to Ypraus in moto three on Saturday, with Borgstrom’s third place good enough to secure her the championship.
Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al-Tayer once again showed he has the pace to match the best in Runabout GP1 before a mechanical problem ended his charge toward a podium finish in Saturday’s final moto. Frenchman Jeremy Perez collected the world title despite a third successive moto victory on home waters for Kuwait’s Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq.