ABU DHABI // It took Olivier Godart less than two hours to cover the Olympic division distance at Tri Yas yesterday.
In all, more than 900 people took part yesterday in the race's second edition around the grounds of the Formula One circuit on Yas Island.
Godart, from Luxembourg, was the winner in the Olympic division, which included a 1.5-kilometre swim, 40km ride and 10km run. He covered the distance in one hour, 57 minutes and 41 seconds.
He beat the Egyptian Olympic hopeful Omar Nour.
Nour, his country's first professional triathlete, also beat the two-hour mark, clocking 1 hr 59 min 58 sec.
Stefan Spies, from Germany, was third in 2 hr 7 min 4 sec.
The event also included a sprint distance: a 750-metre swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run to the finish line.
Forty-five relay teams took part, in a sign that people of all fitness levels are joining the event.
"The positioning of the event is to get first-timers into the sport," said Nick McElwee, the sales and marketing director at Yas Marina Circuit.
"We have seen really encouraging participation at all levels."
The oldest competitor was a woman aged 67, the organisers said. The oldest man was 63.
McElwee, 42, showed he was prepared to put his money where his mouth is by competing with a relay team in the Olympic discipline. It was his third such competition. "It is absolutely fantastic," he said. "The competition was great, the atmosphere was great."
