Micah Hambleton, 16, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), won a gold medal in the Special Olympics Division 1 category at the Daman World Triathlon Abu Dhabi 2019. His brother Jonah, also 16, earned silver. Their brothers Isaac and Joel are set to take part in the Special Olympics World Games Open Water Swimming competition on March 16. All four brothers are adopted.
The triathlon—a three-sport athletic competition involving swimming, cycling, and running—is part of the International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series. This year, just days before the Special Olympics 2019 World Games in Abu Dhabi and Dubai start, Special Olympics athletes joined the international event, making it the most inclusive triathlon in history.
The event took place on March 8 at the Yas Marina Circuit. 22 Special Olympics athletes from 14 countries competed in a 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. Micah finished with a final time of 1:14:27. Overall, over 2,600 athletes of different ages and abilities participated.
