Migliozzi tops at IAU 50km Doha race

The 50km IAU World Championships and the Aspire International 6.50 Race drew to a close Friday evening, marking the start of year-round series of sporting activities at Aspire Zone Foundation, a leading sporting hub.
Winners were awarded medals during a closing ceremony held at Aspire Zone Foundation, attended by esteemed ambassadors, high-level delegation in addition to representatives from Aspire Zone Foundation, and the International Association of Ultrarunners. 
At the closing ceremony, the Qatari flag was hoisted while the national anthem played. Race champions then received medals for both tournaments, the IAU 50km Champion and the Aspire International 6.50 race.
This year’s world event saw US dominate medals table, snatching two gold and two silver medals at the IAU 50km Championship. 
This remarkable win came after US ultrarunner, Tony Migliozzi, secured top individual male spot for the second consecutive year, leading over his second-place countryman ultrarunner, Tyler Andrews, with an eight minute difference. Meanwhile, US male and female teams competing in the relay races finished the race with first and second spots respectively.
Commenting on the win, gold medallist Migliozzi, said: “We’re very proud of our achievement, this is obviously a very big win for the US. Our win came from the hard work we have put it in our preparations, guided by our incredible team leaders.
Adding, “Doha has been good to us, we loved it here. Qatar is a great sporting country, and hopefully we’ll come back for upcoming years.”
Following first-spot winner Migliozzi came Tyler Andrews of USA and  Collen Makaza of Zimbabwe came in third.
In the Women Individual category, Risper Kimaiyo  of Kenya grabbed the gold medal ahead of silver medallist Nele Alder-Baerens (Germany) and bronze medallist Amy Clements (Great Britain). 
German silver medallist, Alder-Baerens, said: “winning this tournament feels pretty amazing. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to grab a silver medals with all these amazing competitors. I came eighth in last year’s tournament, so jumping from eighth to second is a great achievement.”
The gold medal in the male team category was secured by the US, followed by Great Britain and Germany. Meanwhile, the women team category’s top spot was secured by Great Britain, followed by the USA and Croatia.
In the Aspire International 6.50 race, a local community race held alongside the major IAU 50Km World championship, has seen over 200 participation from local community members, Al Rayyan team grabbed gold.
More than 78 Qataris and expats took part in the individual race category, which challenges runners to complete 50 km in six hours. Meanwhile, five Qatari men’s teams and two Qatari women’s teams are amongst the 25 that have registered to take part in the team relay event.
Winners of the male individual races (expats) were: Hillary Ngetich, Robert Kemboi, and Hilary Rotich. Meanwhile female individual winners comprised Hodorogea Nicoleta, Jocelyn Cadaro, and Reka Martin.
Meanwhile, Abdulla Al Hemaidi won the lead in the male individual race (Qataris), followed by AZF staff member, Mohamed Al Obaidly (second place) and Mohammed Al Shahri (third place). 
Al Rayyan male team, comprising three Qataris and two expats, delivered a dazzling performance that earned them top spot at the Aspire International 6.50 race. Whereas, Desert Warriors won first in the mixed teams (male and females) category. 
On the other hand, Police Academy teams 5 and 3, representing the Qatar Police Sports Association, have secured first and third spots respectively in the Qatari male team category, whereas Officers, came in second place. 
Commenting on the occasion, Mohammed Hasan Al Sulaiti, a participant from the local team ‘Officers’, said: “We are excited to be part of the Aspire International 6.50 race for the second consecutive year. Last year, I competed in the individual category and was proud to cross over 30km. This year, my teammates and I from the ‘Officers’ team will compete in the team relay completion, and we are very hopeful to win the title.”
Since its inception, AZF has been keen to engage the public in a range of sporting activities in support of its mission to promote physical activity amongst members of the local community. This year’s “Aspire International 6:50 km Race” has prompted a huge response and attracted large numbers of registrations thanks to the success and popularity of last year’s event.