Oman cycling: Shabib triumphs in Opal Mountain Bike Cross Country Race

Muscat: In a display of great stamina and riding skills, Shabib Mahboob Al Balsuhi overcame stiff competition to emerge the champion of the Opal Mountain Bike Cross Country Race on Saturday.
The race, which coincided with the Sultanate’s 47th National Day celebrations, was organised in Bausher under the auspices of Sheikh Saif bin Hilal Al Hosni, vice-chairman of Oman Olympic Committee, and in the presence of Masalam bin Rashid Al Mantheri, CEO of Oman Society for Petroleum Services (Opal) and Abdullah bin Salim Al Sinani, Human Resources Managing Director at Opal.
The race, organised by Excellence Performance under the supervision of Oman Cycling Association, saw the participation of 108 riders.
While 66 of them managed to complete the race, ROP Special Task Force Police Headquarters team’s Shabib Al Balushi took the top honours in a time of 1:16:44.
Musab Saad Al Rashdi took the second place in 1:27:39 while Hatem Hamdan Al Bushari clocked 1:28:20 to settle for the third place.
After the race, Opal official Abdullah bin Salim Al Sinani said that Opal has supported the race as it aimed at promoting the sport in the country.