(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Popular Russian modern pen-athlete Aleksandr Lesun, who won the Olympic Games gold medal in Rio de Janeiro last August, will be leading the star cast at this week's Champion of Champions event in Doha.
The 29-year-old arrives in the Qatari capital with a huge reputation having won gold medals at the World Championships in Rome (2012) and Warsaw (2014).
In the women's competition, the charge will be headed by Elodie Clouvel of France. Clouvel won the silver medal at last year's Olympic Games. The 28-year-old also won the silver at the 2016 Moscow World Championships.
'The Doha leg of the Champion of Champions series is a most-sought after destination for the world's best athletes, President of UIPM, Dr Klaus Schormann, said yesterday. 'You talk to the athletes and they will tell you they love competing here at Al Shaqab, Schormann added.
Badr Al Darwaish, Secretary General of Qatar Equestrian and Pentathlon Federation (QEPF), said: 'This is an Olympic sport. And what we are looking at is to have one of our own athletes taking part in such events in the future. Hopefully we can have an agreement to extend the contract of this series and then we can focus on having our own athletes competing on home soil.
Event Director Ali Al Rumaihi said: 'We are still in the planning stage of organising such an event for athletes in Qatar or the region. Hopefully we can have at least two such events in the near future. Those events will help our athletes to grow and learn and then compete at international tournaments.
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