Al Meera, Shaheen win Doha camel race

Doha: The sleepy town of Al Shahaniya, located 40km towards west of the city, came alive as hundreds of camels fought it out at the three-day competition last week.

Al Meera and Shaheen won different race categories Al Bakar Al Maqarah and Al Qa’adan respectively.

Al Meera clocked 5:53:9min surpassing Al Jazi (5:58:4) and Al-Maridi (6:01:1).

“Camel racing is improving steadily. It’s a sport that upholds our tradition and the love for it runs in our blood,” Qatar Hejen Racing Committee Vice-President Dr Mubarak Al Hajri had said in a recent interview to www.dohastadiumplus.com.

Shaheen, which belonged to Ahmed Abdullah Mohammed Al Buainain, claimed the first place with a time of 5:57.9min ahead of Al Shababi, owned by Mohammed Ali Al Wahaibi and Al Baz.