(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
The atmosphere at Aspire Park was electric as eight of the brawniest men in the country showed off their mettle in performing ultimate test of strength and endurance to hundreds in the audience at yesterday's kick off of the much anticipated fifth annual ‘Qatar's Strongest Man' (QSM) competition.
A vital part of events hosted by Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) to promote sports activities and encourage healthy lifestyle among community members, the first day of the competition saw defending champion Christopher Ojwang Oketch compete against fellow Kenyans Joseph Iroo Ekadeli and Meshack Otienobla, Mammed Dweidar and Ahmad Mahmoud Dawy from Egypt, Ahmed Ghassan Sabsabi from Syria and Jaron Greene from USA in the Open Category for expatriates.
The opening day did not disappoint as competitors impressed the packed crowd who cheered them on as they took on five extremely challenging tasks including Truck Pull, Sand Bag Lift, Giant Tyre Lift, Farmer Walk and Conan's Wheel. 'I've been following this exciting event since day one and it has never failed to meet my expectations like the rest of the crowd tonight. It has always been a thrill to watch the participants go head to head in the different challenges, said Rommel Reyes, one of the spectators.
With the success QSM enjoyed in the previous years, AZF has extended the competition to two days, and has increased the number of participants to 16 chosen among the 66 entrants after a rigorous series of tests including 200kg weight lift exercises and 20-metre walks while carrying 120kg weights in each arm.
'The 2016 edition generated incredible feedback and the surge of QSM popularity has encouraged AZF to take the competition to a higher level, thus, extending the challenge over two days. Building on the competition's success over the past few years, AZF has also decided to take to take in more participants this year — expanding the competition from 14 to 16 and promote the culture of physical activity amongst members of the community, said Ibrahim Al Hilal, Chairman of QSM 2017 organising committee.
AZF has also set up additional features including popular games such as Dragon Punch and King of the Hammer as well as two bed bungee trampolines and obstacle courses which the entire family enjoyed.
Visitors also enjoyed a variety of snacks sold at food carts and trucks AZF have set up at the venue. 'My kids have enjoyed watching the event and playing in a cool weather. This is such a nice event because not only it is entertaining to watch but also an excellent platform to promote health and fitness, and I hope there are more events like this in the future, said Aditya, an expatriate visitor.
Kenyan defending champion Cristopher Oketch (centre) crowned winner in the Open category of Qatar's Strongest Man 2017 yesterday. Kenyan Joseph Iroo Ekadeli (right) and Egyptian Mohammed Dweidar (left) placed second and third respectively.
People can expect another action-packed competition today as eight Qatari contestants compete to be crowned Qatar's Strongest Man including defending champion Fahad Al Haddad and 2014 winner Talal Al Kuwari along with Rashed Abdullah Al Marri, Abdulrahman Al Emadi, Saeed Mohammed Saeed Abdullah Nasser, Khalid Jaber Al Lakhn Al Marri, Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Hadi Ali Al Marri. The QSM is an annual competition that enables Qatari and expatriate sports enthusiasts who are passionate about strength training to take part in a number of challenges. The free to the public event starts at 4.30pm and runs until 9pm at Aspire Park.
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