11-year-old girl completes Dubai triathlon with differently abled brother

An 11-year-old girl completed a triathlon with her 15-year-old brother who was born with a rare disease at a triathlon event which was held in the spirit of the Dubai Fitness Challenge launched by Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum.

According to Khaleej Times, Tia Watson took her brother, Rio, through all the stages of the triathlon that included a 750 meters swim, a 20km cycle and a 5km race.

Watson was able to complete the challenge by pulling her brother in a kayak while she swam, stringing his wheelchair onto her bike as she cycled, and pushing his wheelchair as she ran.

Rio was diagnosed with 1q44 microdeletion syndrome, a rare disease that causes difficulties in movement and speech.

The children’s parents told Khaleej Times that sports has always been a part of the young girl’s life who started running when she was only eight years old and trains five times a week.

The Watson family also founded a non-profitable organization called Team Angel Wolf to raise awareness on the importance of integrating people of determination into sports.