By Sports Reporter/Doha


Kuwait’s Ahmed Rashed al-Dawas claimed victory in the Pro Marathon race for aqua bikes, held in conjunction with the UIM Qatar Cup in Doha Bay, yesterday afternoon.
The Kuwaiti fended off a strong Qatari challenge for overall honours, which saw local hero Abdullah Mohamed Ali claim second position and fellow Qatari Mohammed al-Heidus round off the podium places.
Kuwait’s Hamad al-Dalai reached the chequered flag in fourth overall and the Qatari racers, Waleed Mahmoud al-Sharshani and Rashed al-Mannai, were fifth and sixth.  
Kuwait’s Abdulaziz al-Najdi and the Qatari trio of Rashed Rashed al-Muhannadi, Mubarak Khalifa al-Khuleifi and Khaled Mohamed al-Malki rounded off the top 10. Ten other racers, including entrants from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, failed to finish a thrilling race held in perfect conditions on the clear waters of Doha Bay.
Yesterday was a relatively quiet day by UIM Qatar Cup standards, but it gave all the registered Pro Marathon aquabike racers from Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan the chance to impress in their very own race. Doha Bay was then opened for both Inshore and Offshore testing late in the afternoon.
Today is the final day of the inaugural Qatar Cup and the busiest of the four days. The second C2 and C1 races take centre stage on the Inshore course from 09.00hrs until 10.45hrs and they precede the UIM World 225 Championship race, starting at 11.00hrs.
The afternoon belongs to the Offshore racers and SuperCat Lites venture out on to the water for their second race from 14.30hrs. The second encounter for the SuperVee and SuperCat entrants brings the racing to a close from 15.30hrs before the awards ceremony at 16.