Omar Nour

Omar Nour is the first Egyptian professional triathlete at any distance, and is the first to race on the prestigious International Triathlon Union (ITU) pro circuit, which is the format and series that determine who competes in the triathlon event at the Summer Olympics. In his second full year as a professional triathlete racing the ITU circuit, Omar's results have dramatically improved, and according to the ITU, he now stands in the unique position of being the first Egyptian triathlete in Olympic history. If he accomplishes this, Nour claims "it will be an amazing accomplishment for my family, and all Egyptians and MENA region residents and fans."

Born in Cairo, Egypt on December 9, 1978, Omar and his immediate and extended family were based in Cairo, as well as other parts of the country. At the age of three, he moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, where Omar and his brother were enrolled in boarding schools. Despite their multi-linguistic abilities and international upbringing (Omar is fluent in Arabic, French and English, and is conversational in German) Omar says he never lost site of his Arabic heritage and culture, because of the emphasis and reinforcement of their traditions by his mother.

In 1992, his family moved to the United States, where Omar continued his education. Upon graduation from high school, he enrolled in The Johns Hopkins University, with a triple-major in French, Near Eastern Studies and Biology, with a Pre-Medical Concentration. After graduation from Hopkins, Omar—who was once bound for medical school—apparently shifted his focus and entered the business world, starting and growing various small business ventures. It was a familial venture, that permanently removed Omar from the medical track. In 2006, Omar and his brother Diaa formed a telecommunications firm, Tot Solutions,^[1] which, according to Nour, quickly took off and began signing larger, more time-intensive clientele. Soon, his plans for medical school were deferred and he found himself working 120-hour weeks in furtherance of their now thriving entrepreneurial endeavor. A year into the business, and by his own admission, Omar had fallen badly out of shape and was 70 lbs overweight, and leading an unbalanced, unhealthy lifestyle.

According to Nour, it was on a dare from a friend, that he entered a local triathlon in 2007 (the Nations Triathlon^[2] in Washington, DC) and fell in love with the challenging three-sport format. Starting with a 1.5k swim, then sprinting out of the water, only to jump on bicycle, race around the course for 40k, to then dismount and begin the third and final leg of the race, a 10k run. Even though he was poorly conditioned, he was undeterred by the daunting nature of triathlon and committed to introducing a physical training regiment to his work-oriented life. His improvement was rather substantial and the once-obese Nour found himself losing weight at a rapid pace, by the simple introduction of organized cross-training. With the weight loss, the results improved. To the surprise of most pundits, Nour had raced well enough to earn Elite status as a triathlete, in what some skeptics deemed a dramatic example of 'fat to fit' he "earned his pro card" (as it's called within triathlon) in a two-year window.

After extensive talks with the Egyptian Triathlon Federation^[3] (ETF) Omar, entered his first full pro season in 2010, racing under the flag of Egypt.^[4] With an ambitious, but long-odds goal of qualifying for and competing in the Olympics as the first Egyptian pro triathlete in history, he set about on an arduous ITU schedule, racing at diverse venues all over the world. Nour found mixed results and a completely different level of racing, than he did within the age group ranks. Without a youth swimming background, he did not fare well in the short, fast, swim format of ITU style racing and consequently struggled early on in 2010. Even with the marginal results he earned in his first few races, Nour claims to have never been deterred or dejected. Though his early results were slow to come around, he compensated for it with a gregarious personality and a tendency to comically self-deprecate.

Coming from a multilingual family helped the Egyptian adapt—at least socially—to the various race venues during his first year on the pro circuit. Deeply rooted in his MENA, Arabic heritage, Omar fluidly flips languages and converses with French cameramen at races, or cracks jokes in German with his Deutsche competitors. This personality resonated with fans and media with Nour seemingly focusing on developing his media profile via television,^[5] internet,^[6] magazines and newspapers.^[7]

According to reporters and photographers, Nour has become a "media-favorite" (within the sports media community as well as in mainstream media) because of his willingness to self-deprecate, crack jokes, and otherwise make light of the strenuous nature of the sport. His exposure has also likely been aided by his ability to carry on an interview in multiple languages. Nour apparently has made a marked effort to expand his own profile, and has developed a growing following on various forms of social media having started his own YouTube channel^[8] as well as utilizing other resources, such as Twitter,^[9] Facebook,^[10] a personal blog^[11] and truly understands the role of the media and the fans, in connecting with a larger audience.

With the 2012 London Olympics^[12] gradually drawing closer, the pressure will be on Omar Nour to continue his dramatic improvement and meteoric rise in the sport of triathlon, if he is to seize his dream of becoming the first Egyptian triathlete in Olympic history. Based on his results from the 2010 season, it is unclear whether or not Nour will make the Olympics, especially since there are only 55 spots for the men's race and athletes from all over the globe are competing for such limited allocation. A closer review of the selection process and criteria, reveals that it is a more daunting process than Nour lets on. However, when asked whether the pressure and demands of such a goal ever weigh him down, Nour has said in repeated interviews "Absolutely not! The opportunity to represent my country and my region, is a dream. It is something that lifts me up, and can never weigh me down. I am racing for them. It is the spirit of the people and the perseverance that define my culture. I am committed to making this dream a reality."

The points accumulation process will continue to run through the 2011 season and into the 2012 season. The London Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 27, 2012 and run through August 12,^[13] with the event of triathlon on August 4 and 7,^[14] with the men racing on the latter date. Triathlon was first introduced as an Olympic sport in Sydney, Australia at the 2000 Olympic Games. Since then, the exposure and television appeal of the multi-lap style of racing has appealed to viewing audiences. According to the Nielsen ratings, it is estimated that some 4.7 billion people tuned in to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China meaning roughly 70% of the global population watched the Summer Olympics, making it the most viewed event in the world.

References

1. ^ Tot Solutions
2. ^ Nations Triathlon http://www.thenationstriathlon.com/
3. ^ Egyptian Triathlon Federation http://archive.triathlon.org/?call=TVRFMg==&fed=NjU=&keep=sh
4. ^ Egypt http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Default.aspx
5. ^ Omar Nour TV interview with Lava Magazine http://lavamagazine.com/racing/video-egypt's-first-pro-triathlete#axzz1GRoajKqs
6. ^ Sports 360 Interview http://www.sport360.com/uae/news/60561-abu-dhabi-triathlon-nours-proud-journey-from-fat-to-fit
7. ^ The National Interiew http://www.thenational.ae/sport/uae-sport/high-drama-for-egyptian-at-abu-dhabi-international-triathlon
8. ^ Omar Nour YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/onTriTV
9. ^ Twitter http://twitter.com/#search?q=omarnour
10. ^ Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/omarnourtriathlon
11. ^ Omar Nour Blog http://omarnour.blogspot.com/
12. ^ London Olympics
13. ^ 2012 Olympic Games Schedule http://www.london2012.com/
14. ^ Olympic Triathlon Schedule http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8325934/London-2012-Olympics-Triathlon-schedule.html

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Name	Nour, Omar
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Date of birth	1978
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