Name
Ahmed Mourad
Age Group
35-39
Years in the sport
Three years. I did my first race in November 2017.
What brought you to the sport?
Passion and well-being. I love sports and have been an athlete during my entire childhood until I finished my uni degree. Then I had a gap during my early career years. When I moved to Melbourne, I was determined to go back to exercising. I chose triathlon because it provides an enjoyable mix of 3 different disciplines that complement each other, which you can practice on your own or in a group. It is also age friendly; I intend to stay in the sport for as long as my body allows me to, like some of the legends we have within the crew.
Biggest accomplishment in the sport?
Doing olympic distances races and learning how to swim (again)
How has triathlon impacted your life?
It’s a long list, but I will talk about one item only. Before starting my PhD, all friends who did it and online experiences claimed that it is a tough journey. It takes its toll on your mental and emotional well-being. One of the recommendations was to pick a hobby and stick to it to get through the hard times. That was triathlon for me. I am not exaggerating when I say that exercising sometimes was the highlight of my day during the darkest moments of my study. It was the only reason for me to get out of bed. Just as research suggests, triathlon is my natural remedy of depression.
Dream Goal
Understand my body to be able to stay in the sport till the end
Dream Race
For now, any 70.3 world championship
Something interesting about you which most people would not know
I used to be play squash for a decade