Sergei Perelygin and Lindsay Webster crowned winners at Spartan World Championships in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Sergei Perelygin and Lindsay Webster have been crowned Spartan World Champions after conquering an all-new obstacle course in Al-Wathba to beat the world’s best athletes at the weekend.

The event — only the second time it has been held outside the US — was organized by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in partnership with Spartan, which is the world’s leading endurance sports and wellness brand.

Taking place at Al-Wathba Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, the race saw international athletes from more than 80 countries compete for the men’s and women’s individual World Championship Super, with more than $125,000 in prize money on offer.

On Saturday, athletes from both categories tackled a number of challenging obstacles, including A-Frame Cargo, Atlas Carry and Ape Hanger.

Perelygin, who settled for an impressive second place in last year’s race, won the Men’s Elite 2022 title following the completion of the 10 km race in a time of 1 hour, 3 minutes, 47 seconds. The Russian beat his rival Ryan Atkins by 0.12 seconds, who achieved a time of 1:03:59.

“I’ve always dreamed of being a Spartan World Champion since I first began competing back in 2015,” said Perelygin. “I’m very happy as it’s only my second world championship. Last year was very hard to compete against Ryan Atkins, he pushed me as much as I pushed him. Last year he got the finish but this year it was my turn. If you believe in your dreams, it can happen.”

The women’s category saw Canadian Webster victorious in 1:12:49 to claim her fourth title, whilst Slovakian and European Spartan Champion, Ezster Hortobagyiova, finished second in 1:14:52.

“This year’s race felt a lot shorter. I thought the terrain was going to be equally as tough but it was sufficiently