Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation would like to congratulate Tala Abujbara on her qualification for the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this summer. This earns her the distinction of being the first Qatari woman to qualify for a place in the world’s foremost sporting competition.

Tala’s event will be the 2000m single scull, but as cycling forms a key component of endurance training for rowers, she is a well-known figure on the local cycling and triathlon scene. She was a member of the podium-topping mixed relay team at the 2018 Doha Triathlon and achieved strong results in the Al Adaid Desert Challenge mountain bike race; placing 5th in 2017 and 3rd in 2019. Memorably, she had another ground-breaking performance as the only Qatari woman to participate in the first National Road Championship in 2018; a race which she won from a two-person break away.

She joins Team Qatar on the plane to Tokyo, alongside Mutaz Barshim (high jump), the men’s beach volleyball team and Aberrahman Samba (110m hurdles), with more expected to join them in the coming weeks. Set your alarm for 2:30 am on the 23rd July to watch Tala take to the Sea Forest Waterway for the heats. We will be cheering every stroke.