Egypt's 50-year-old triathlon athlete Amany Helmi Khalil said that she had blazed a trail for both women and older people passionate about sports after becoming the first female from her country in such an age category to complete the Ironman Barcelona triathlon in Spain last month.
Khalil, who is a mother of two, came in 21st in the 50-54 age category for women in the triathlon after competing with women and men from all over the world who were mostly in their 20s and 30s. "I hope that the accomplishment I made in Barcelona last month will pave the way for other women and older people to practice sports and win competitions," she told Al-Monitor. "Nothing can stop anyone from practicing sports — it is never the age nor the gender," she added.
The Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). It consists of a three-stage competition involving a 2.4-mile (3.86-kilometer) swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.22-mile marathon run without a break. This high endurance sport is considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race.
Khalil said that the competition is tough, but that she prepared herself well for the triathlon. "I trained for 10 months and three to four hours a day before entering the competition. I have also been in other marathons and triathlons many times and got used to completing them. Many people think that older people cannot compete in such tournaments. In fact, it is difficult in the beginning, but when you get older, more experienced and have practiced a lot, it really becomes easier," she added.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
