The Thule Adventure Team - led by three-time winners Richard and Elina Ussher - crossed the finish line for a fourth consecutive victory in the gruelling Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.
The final stage of the largest-ever Challenge, a 33km kayak route around Lulu Island, saw the combined paddle power of Thule Adventure Team clinch the new-look six-day endurance race among 48 teams from 18 countries.
All 30 rookie teams - including two female-dominated teams - that entered the world's most international endurance race also made it to the finish. The eight UAE teams also survived the epic, east-to-west journey through Abu Dhabi's breathtaking landscape.
"A race of this nature deserves a momentous finish and we certainly got that," said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) - which is behind the Challenge. "For so many firsts to be set and so many records to fall in the event's fourth year underlines how the Abu Dhabi Challenge is improving with every edition that we stage.
With the husband-wife duo of Richard and Elina at the front, the Thule Adventure Team finished in an overall time of 45 hours 44 minutes and 47 seconds. The French squad of Thule Adventure Team Europe and the Swiss Wenger team grabbed maiden podium finishes by finishing in 47h08m08s and 47h39m01s, respectively. Brits Adidas Terrex and Swedish rookies Netcompetence rounded out the top five.
In the battle for local bragging rights, the 2XU Blackberry team topped the eight-team UAE line-up, securing 15th place overall with a time of 58h14m56s - 18 hours ahead of next best local quartet, EcoRacers, who finished 30th in a time of 76h18m21s.
Having crossed the line more than 80 minutes ahead of their European Thule namesakes, Ussher was visibly elated at topping all nine sections of the new-look course. "This team are heroes," said Ussher.
"The universal camaraderie, energy and will to win just cannot be measured. It is always special to win a race, but to do so four times in a row is unbelievable. We've had a fantastic week together and the race's new-look format was a thrilling experience. We need to see more of races of such diversity elsewhere around the world."
Jacky Boisset of Thule Adventure Team Europe expressed his satisfaction but immediately lay down the gauntlet to Ussher and co. ahead of the 2011 race.
"We are very happy as this year's second place is better than all our previous results," said Boisset. "If we won the race, there would probably be no reason for us to come back. We'll be back to do it again next year and we'll do everything we can to beat Ussher's team. The strategy for 2011 is just one word: win."
After securing third, Bernhard Hug, the Wenger team captain, commended lauded the prowess of the uber Usshers. "Talk about professionalism," he added. "They live on adventure races. Nevertheless, they're unbelievable!"
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
