Over 1,000 swimmers take to the open water in front of the iconic Burj Al Arab, as Chad Le Clos inspires swimmers of all ages at the Daman DXB SwimFest 2018 
 
Dubai, UAE, November 06, 2018:  The inaugural Daman DXB SwimFest 2018, presented by Jumeirah Beach Hotel & Wild Wadi, was hugely successful as over 1,000 swimmers, friends and families descended on to the beautiful Jumeirah Beach Hotel waterfront to take part in the Swim the Burj Al Arab challenge, Junior Splash Dash and Relay races.  
 
Chad Le Clos, multiple World and Olympic champion, was excited to be a part of the one day fitness festival as he started each of the races, getting involved and inspiring the large waves of swimmers who were ready to give each of the races their best shot. Le Clos commented: “It’s been amazing to be a part of such a great event – the atmosphere on the beach has been buzzing all morning. You really couldn’t ask for a better venue than the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and what an experience to swim around the Burj Al Arab with the views of Dubai!” 
 
“I am also thrilled to take part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge – it is a fantastic initiative and it is amazing to see so many people getting more active and taking on the 30x30 challenge! Dubai is the perfect place to enjoy a range of fitness activities, including swimming!” 
 
Taking first place in the event’s longest and most iconic race, Swim the Burj Al Arab , was Chad Ho and Michelle Weber, who came all the way from South Africa to take part in the event! Tunisian Olympic swimmer, Sarra Lajnef and Mark Randall took top in the female and male categories in the second wave of the Swim the Burj challenge. Weber stated ‘I am so excited to have won the Swim the Burj Al Arab race – what a unique experience to swim around such as iconic landmark! It was great to see so many young swimmers getting involved in open water swimming, Thank you to 
everyone who made the event so successful.”  
 
Egypt showed an outstanding performance in the Junior Splash Dash 300m race, as Rohayem Tolba, Seifeldein Tamer and Heidi Mamdouh all took top honours, along with Arisha Ghazi from India who won in the 8-11 years female category. The 100m race was won by Alexander Goode and Ella Bradley in the male and female categories respectively. The junior swimmers were all very excited to be presented their medals by their idol Chad Le Clos, who was more than happy to meet all his fans and give as much advise as he can offer for them to continue in the sport.  
 
The Family Fun Challenge overall winning team was From Italy With Love. The family race saw parents swim with their children in a relay format, where parents swam 100m and children 100m. The adult relay race winning team was Mark Randall team.  
 
UAE swimmers showed strong performance at this year’s events and took part in all races, and were proudly supported by event ambassador Saeed Al Jasmi, who was present at the start and finish line to cheer the participants on. One of the UAE’s best ever swimmers Al Jasmi stated: “It is always 
wonderful seeing the positive vibes all around. My brothers and I hope to continue to inspire a younger generation of swimmers in the UAE, to work hard and be committed to this wonderful sport. I am delighted to be a part of first SwimFest and see the event prove to be such a success at this iconic venue.” 
 
Le Clos added “I love the passion that the community have for sport and the Dubai Fitness Challenge. Thank you to everyone who came down to the beach to show your support. I hope to see everyone again next year – keep swimming!” 
 
Thank you to Daman, Jumeriah Beach Hotel, Wild Wadi Waterpark, Go Sport, Speedo, Dubai Sports Council, The UAE Swimming Federation, and Medeor 24/7 Hospital for their continued support and making the day such a huge success.  
 
The Daman DXB SwimFest is organised by Professional Sports Group, and sanctioned by the UAE Swimming Federation & Dubai Sports Council, the event aims to increase fitness across the community and raise awareness of safety in the water.