Amidst the atmosphere enveloped in the spirit of competition on the Marmoum tracks, excitement escalated in the qualifying rounds for the 16th edition of the “Salching Championship” organized by the Championships Department at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Center for Heritage Revival, in search of qualification cards that were completed with the rise of the first three positions in 14 rounds held on Over two days, with a total of 42 races, you will compete for titles in the finals, which will be held on February 19.
The qualifiers were held over two days at the weekend, with local participation from the various emirates of the country, in addition to the prominent presence of the Gulf brothers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman and Qatar, to confirm this championship’s role as a beating heart for one of the most prominent folklore sports in the region.
On the first day, 2500-meter qualifiers were held for females and males, and in the first half for females, “Yamra” for its owner, Mansour Salem Al-Nuaimi, achieved first place with a time of 2.39 minutes, and “Franchi” for Juma Khater Al-Junaibi in second place with 2.41 minutes, and third place “Jalta” for Amer Muhammad Al-Mansoori with 2.42 minutes, and in the second half, females, “Awaid” for its owner, Jaber Awad Al-Mansouri, achieved a time of 2.36 minutes, and in the second place “treatment” by Mansour Salem Al-Nuaimi with 2.37 minutes, and in the third place “Anthrax” by Saif Saeed Al-Mansouri with 2.39 minutes. In the third round, females came in first place, “Ghaya” by Amer Muhammad Al-Mansouri, with a time of 2.35 minutes, followed by “Rayah” by Jumaa Khater Al-Junaibi, with a time of 2.37 minutes, and “Zana” by Abdullah Hamad Al-Ghafli, with a time of 2.38 minutes.
In the fourth round, females achieved “Abath” in first place for its owner, Jaber Awad Al-Mansouri, with a time of 2.28 minutes, “the fastest time,” followed by “raid” by Mansour Salem Al-Nuaimi, with 2.30 minutes, and third place “FIFA” by Saeed Hassan Al-Muftah, with 2.31 minutes.
In the first half, males for a distance of 2500 meters, the first place was achieved by “Al-Mohandes” for its owner, Hama Khater Al-Junaibi, with a time of 2.37 minutes, and in the second place “Makhbat” by Amer Muhammad Al-Mansouri with 2.39 minutes, and in the third place “Raided” by Mansour Salem Al-Nuaimi with 2.40 minutes, and in the half The second is male, “Titi” for its owner, Amer Muhammad Al-Mansouri, achieved first place with a time of 2.38 minutes, and “Rizm” by Saif Muhammad Al-Ketbi came second with 2.39 minutes, and in the third place “troublesome” by Hamad Taj Al-Balooshi with 2.40 minutes, and in the third round, males, he achieved first place “Impressive” by Amer Muhammad Al-Mansouri with a time of 2.40 minutes, and the second place “Drozone” by Jumaa Khater Al-Junaibi with 2.42 minutes, and the third place with “Ramz” by Saif Muhammad Al-Ketbi with 3.01 minutes.
In the fourth round, males, the first place was achieved by “Bagheera” for its owner, Amer Muhammad Al-Mansouri, with a time of 2.36 minutes, followed by “Pfizer” by Mansour Salem Al-Nuaimi, with 2.41 minutes, and in the third place, “Souvenir” by Amer Muhammad Al-Mansouri, with a time of 2.415 minutes.
On the second day, 1000-meter runs were held for males and females in the Greyhound category, and in the first half, females, Nasser bin Dalmuk Al Ketbi, won the first three places, by “Tessa”, “Leona” and “Lee”, respectively, and Al Ketbi won the first three places for the second half. By “Pearl”, “Tela” and “Sheba”, respectively, and Nasser bin Dalmuk Al Ketbi excelled in the third half with the “Andy” boiler, followed by Hassan Ali bin Qatami with the “Al Nof” boiler, then Al Ketbi also third with the “Haya” boiler.
In the male races, Nasser bin Dalmouk Al Ketbi monopolized the first three positions in the three races, in the first half, by “Cruz”, “Rex” and “Bandit”, respectively, and in the second half by “Finn”, “Dodge” and “Colin” on respectively, and in the third period by “Billy Driver”, “Jax” and “JT Jet”, respectively.
Rashid Al Khasouni, Director of Championships Department at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Center for Heritage Revival, praised the numbers recorded in the qualifying rounds, stressing that they reflect the extent of the contestants’ readiness for this championship, which is one of the strongest championships in the region.
Al-Khassouni continued: “The value of the prizes and the ascending level of the tournament made the event a destination for all fans of this heritage sport.
Juma Al Muhairi, Chairman of the Technical Committee for the Steak Championship, said: “The electronic registration contributed to increasing the number of participants through our keenness to facilitate all procedures for them and support them, which made it easier for them. From outside the country, as registration is open for them until ten minutes before the start of the runs.
He continued, “Our goal is to be, like all Fazza’s heritage championships, a reason for achieving happiness in society, and to present this traditional sport in the best possible way, according to the highest procedures, and most importantly, the commitment and professionalism of the participants, which reflects their interest and eagerness to succeed.”