ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Frenchman Grégory Basilico successfully defended his world title by winning the fifth edition of the Elite Men category at the Spartan World Championship – Abu Dhabi 2025 held in Al Wathba desert in Abu Dhabi.
The event was organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council in partnership with Spartan, the world-leading brand in endurance and obstacle-course racing.
Basilico sealed the title after leading the “Beast” 21km race, featuring more than 30 obstacles in a time of 2:12:17. He finished ahead of Russia’s Sergei Berligin, who clocked 2:16:37, and the US’ Joshua Kasht, who placed third in 2:18:55.
In the Elite Women category, Russia’s Alisa Petrova also successfully defended her title, finishing first in 2:36:13. She was followed by US’s Annie Dooby in 2:41:34 and Slovakia’s Ester Hotubagiova in 2:47:00.
The winners were crowned by Dr Ahmed Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council; Talal Al Hashemi, Executive Director of the Events Sector at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council; Joe De Sena, Founder of Spartan; Mohamed Ghanem Al Qubaisi representing the Agthia Group; Dalia Sando representing Al Masoud-Al Masoud for Automobiles; Dr Mojtaba Ali Khan representing Burjeel Medical City; Norma Shahin representing Al Masoud Equipment Rental; and Mohamed Magdy representing Al Wathba Desert Resort.
On the first day of the championship, the Neon Night Challenge – Women Only Edition of 5km with 20 obstacles was staged across the dunes of Al Wathba. On the preceding Friday, an open night challenge of 5km with 20 obstacles took place for both men and women, offering participants the chance to test their limits in one of the most demanding stages of the global Spartan series.
The third day featured both competitive and open youth races with distances between 1 and 3km, attracting broad community participation and spirited support from family and friends across different age groups.
On the fourth and final day of the championship, the 3km Elite Team Relay witnessed intense competition, culminating in the Russian team, comprising Petra (sic) Petrova, Sergei Berligin and Sergei Gritsack, finishing first in 22 minutes 11 seconds. The Czech team of Suzana Kokumova, Richard Henik and Pavel Hardina took second place, just 4 seconds behind the winners. The Dutch team, Ivan van Ee, Steijn Lagrand and Frank Storm, secured third position in 23 minutes 35 seconds.
The global event closed with the “Super Heat” 10km open race, followed by the “Sprint” 5km race, before the relay winners were honoured and the festival drew to a close, marking four days of competition and excitement in Al Wathba desert.