Abu Dhabi International Triathlon Champ Dibens Takes 2012 Ambassador Role

Great Britain’s Julie Dibens – the double Abu Dhabi International Triathlon champion, and the only female athlete to have won the flagship event - will return to the UAE capital next month as official ambassador and guest commentator for the 2012 showdown.

The 36-year-old British short-course expert is returning in a non racing capacity due to a minor injury which will count her out of the Abu Dhabi elite race on March 3, 2012.

 

And despite not being able to compete, Dibens, who notched her first long distance win in the UAE capital two years ago, is eager to share her experiences as one of the world’s top traithletes with the 1,700 registered local, elite and age group race hopefuls in the emirate for the US$250,000 event.

 

“It is great to be able to stay involved in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon this year despite not being able to race. There are few events on the planet that have such a world class city, organisation, culture and professional athlete field behind them. I will miss competing but I am glad I don’t need to miss the race itself. I look forward to returning in 2013,” said Dibens, who represented Great Britain in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

 

“I’m also looking forward to meeting new athletes, seeing old friends and staying in the fantastic hotel Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan. Come race day I’ll be experiencing the event from a very different perspective but I will be on the edge of my seat watching the action unfold.”

 

In addition to her Abu Dhabi wins in 2011 and 2010, Dibens who lives and trains in Colorado, USA, is a three times Xterra World Champion, 70.3 World Champion, British National Champion and twice competitor of both the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. In 2011, Dibens went on to further success claiming first place in the New Orleans 70.3, Rev3 Quassy and the Coeur D’alene Ironman.

With the two-time champ out of the race, it leaves the strongest-ever women’s field wide open. Favourites to take the title include Caroline Steffen, who finished second in Abu Dhabi last year, and current 70.3 World Champion Mellisa Rollison. Canada’s Angela Neath, who recently won the Panama 70.3, is another strong contender for the title.

 

Abu Dhabi’s unique triathlon course offers one the sport’s most picturesque settings – a swim start in the clear blue Arabian Gulf waters, then biking on the famous Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before ending on the sweeping shores of the Corniche.

 

The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon offers three course distances; the 223km ‘long course’ (3km swim, a 200km cycle and 20km run), the half-length ‘short’ course (1.5km swim, a 100km cycle and a 10 km run) and the sprint course (750m swim, a 50km bike and 5km run). Both the ‘short’ and the ‘sprint’ can be run as a team relay.