DOHA: Asmaa Namli gave Morocco top spot on the Arab Games cycling medal tally yesterday after claiming gold in the women’s individual time trial at Lusail Cycling Circuit.
Her win followed on from Morocco’s victory in the men’s team time trial on Monday.
Namli biked steadily to finish the race in 36min 09.43sec, with an average speed of 37.171km/h, to finish the race 3.28 seconds ahead of Tunisia’s Nour Dissem, winner of the event’s gold medal four years ago.
“The average speed marked by Namli is her best so far. She never went below 38km/h during practice,” said coach and technical director Mustafa El Nejjari. Tunisia’s top female cyclist Dissem was disappointed to find out that she had lost by such a narrow margin. “I always aim for the best. It was disappointing in some way,” she said.
Jordan’s 16-year-old Razan Soboh was the revelation of the day.
She finished third and earned a round of applause from team members and officials.
“We adopt an advanced system of training. Soboh proved her talent. We witnessed the birth of a racer who has a lot to say in the future on the Arab level,” said Jordan’s Tunisian coach, Mounir Ben Jrida.
