Abu dhabi: Two runners from England secured a 1-2 finish in the half marathon of the Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi 2026 (OMGAD) at Hudayriyat Islands in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Nicholas Grant Bester ran as if he had already joined organized tournaments in the past, as he finished way ahead in one hour, 9 minutes and 43 seconds to emerge as the overall champion in the men's category. 'This win is awesome. This is my first time to join an organized game. So beautiful out there, you've got the desert, the ocean views, and the buildings. The views in this island are really awesome,' the 36-year-old Bester, who competed in the 35+ age division, shared.
Adam Tuck, also of England, came in second with a time of 1:16.43 to top the 45+ class, while Hsiang Che-weng of Taiwan finished third overall and first in the 50+ group with a time of 1:18.14. Tifanne Thayme of Canada clocked 1:25.23 to win the women's category and finish 14th overall in the event, also joined by para athletes. Simone Walter of the United States finished second in 1:26.01, followed by Chaoling Dong, a Chinese trail runner, with a time of 1:26.01.
Davao City native James Campoamor was the best Filipino finisher with a time of 1:39.18 to finish 29th overall and fifth place in the men's 30+ category. 'My goal here is to improve my personal record,' Campoamor, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the UAE, said. He noted that his participation in the Open Masters Games was also part of his preparation for the ADNEC marathon in December. 'Hopefully, maging maganda ang performance ko sa (I will have better performance in the) ADNEC marathon,' Campoamor added. He mentioned that the OFWs in the UAE have a group of runners regularly competing in the local tournaments.
Local runner Aadel AlNuaimi won the overall title in the 10,000 male category with a time of 33.39 minutes, while Elena Samarina of Ukraine ruled the distaff side in 39.56 minutes. Moroccans Abdelali Bouazzaqui and Rkia El swept the 5,000 men's and women's division titles in 15.13 and 16.18 minutes, respectively. Andrei Nedaboi of Belarus brought home the men's 2,500 run title with a time of 7:30 minutes, while Elena Bogdanova of Russia clocked 9:03 to win the women's side crown.
