TRIATHLON is a “women’s sport” and offers opportunities for female athletes, current Ironman World Champion Daniela Ryf told the GDN.
She said that women and men both do the same distance and receive the same prize money, at a breakfast held at Emmawash restaurant yesterday morning for female triathlon athletes taking part in Saturday’s Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship.
The event was organised by Trü Active.
“Triathlon is the only sport women do the same length as the men, and the prize money is the same,” Ryf said.
“I think we can do anything as well as them – maybe men are faster, but women are better at endurance.
“Women are strong, and I believe triathlon is a women’s sport.
“When I do the sport, it’s about the challenge, whether it’s a half Iron Man or full, it’s kind of not human.
“You find out what you can achieve by training your body.”
Ryf has been part of Bahrain Endurance 13 for two years, a triathlon team set up by Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
“What Shaikh Nasser does for the team and sport is inspiring because he really believes in triathlon and believes it’s a good sport for health, as do I,” she said.
“I think we have that luxury to be able to perform and also our job is to get fit, and I love that.
“With the team, he also wants to push the sport.
“I have now won all the titles I wanted, but the reason I do the sport is because I would like to find out how fast or how fit I can get, and this keeps me pushing hard every day.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do in the next five years, but I enjoy it at the moment and I’m focused on getting fitter and enjoying it.”
Empower
Trü Active co-founder Hala Zubari told the GDN she believed that empowering women was important to ensure more women take part in sport.
“This event was important for us to host because our brand is all about empowering women and inspiring them to get into a healthy lifestyle,” she said.
“Having a great support group is number one in any success story.
“Supporting and helping other women get the best out of their training is essential to creating a bigger community of athletic women in Bahrain.”
She said it was “unfair to female athletes” that their appearance often came ahead of their performance.
“I honestly believe that the barriers that we have are the fact that when women want to do sport, their outfits are considered and talked about instead of their performance,” Zubari said.
“Their appearance comes first, then their performance. I don’t think that’s fair to females.
“If they can’t handle an intense training it’s because of their femaleness and not because they’re out of practice.
“I think breaking down the stereotypes will help women feel more empowered in Bahrain and feel like an athlete instead of female athlete.
“I feel it’s important for amateurs to talk to pros because they get the best and first hand knowledge of the sport.
“It’s always inspiring to see another female taking on the world in her sport.”