Faris Al-Sultan

Faris al-Sultan (Arabic: فارس السلطان, born 21 January 1978) is a former German triathlete who is now active as a coach. In 2005, he was the third German to win the Ironman Hawaii. He is listed in the best list of German triathletes on the Ironman distance.

Faris al-Sultan
Personal information
Nickname(s)The Sultan of Sweat
Born (1978-01-21) 21 January 1978
Munich, Germany
Sport
CountryGermany
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)8:14:00 (2005)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Men's triathlon
Ironman World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2005 Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Individual

Career

Faris al-Sultan is known for his strengths in all three triathlon disciplines. In the running segment, he has a consistent but uncommon form of a long stride and loose arms, described as "looping." In competition, he typically wears a Speedo and half-singlet. His interest in triathlon was inspired by Thomas Hellriegel, a German triathlete.

Faris was born 21 January 1978 in Munich, Germany to a German mother and an Iraqi father. He started out as a collegiate swimmer before taking on triathlon. His first Ironman in 1997 was Lanzarote Ironman, which he completed in a time of 10:33. Al-Sultan achieved his first Ironman win at the inaugural running of Ironman Arizona in 2005. He competed at the Ironman world championships in Hawaii in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004 before finally winning there in 2005.[1] The favorite that year, fellow German Normann Stadler, withdrew due to flat tyres. In al-Sultan's return to defend the title in 2006, he placed third. At the 2007 championships, Faris did not compete due to a case of gastroenteritis the morning of the race. He said choosing not to compete "was one of the hardest decisions of my life."[2] He was the winner at the 2013 Ironman Lanzarote on 18 May, completing with an overall time of 8:42:40.

Private life

Al-Sultan's father Talib came to Germany from Iraq in 1958. His mother Lydia is from Munich, where his father works as the head of a translation agency. Faris Al-Sultan attended high school in Munich/Moosach. He was a graduate student at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, working on a Master's degree in Arabic language, literature, and history. Al-Sultan dropped out of graduate school before completing his degree to focus on triathlons.[3]

In April 2014, his son was born, since November 2014 he has been married to the former triathlete Ina Reinders[4] and in January 2016, their daughter was born.

Currently, Faris al-Sultan is coach of Patrick Lange, 2 time Ironman World Champion triathlete.[5]

Notes
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Faris al-Sultan News Archive". faris-al-sultan.de. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  3. "Triathlet Faris Al-Sultan: "Man braucht die Angst im Nacken"". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. Eggebrecht, H. (13 May 2020). "Detail". Triathlon auf tri2b.com | das Tri-Portal für Einsteiger bis zum Profi (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  5. "Profile – PATRICK LANGE – TRIATHLETE". Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
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