Hungarian Victory on the Sinai Peninsula
Szöveg: First Lieutenant Renáta Révész | 2011. november 5. 6:01Gaining a considerable advantage – leading from start to finish – Staff Sergeant Lajos Bondár, the member of the Hungarian contingent could stand on the winner’s imaginary rostrum at the triathlon competition arranged in the South Camp of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) at Sharm el Sheikh.
The triathlon competition was arranged in the morning hours on Tuesday, October 25 at the MFO South Camp Sharm el Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, which contrary to the traditional practice included running, swimming and a march burdened with weights. The competitors – almost 50 MFO soldiers – first had to swim 300 meters in the sea at the camp beach, then they had to run around two miles (i.e. around 3200 meters), and finally to march four miles (6400 meters) carrying 40-pound weights (roughly 18 kilograms).
The MFO service members were vying in an international field. Only one of our countrymen entered the race from the Hungarian contingent, but he received the brightest medal at the announcement of the results. The Hungarian competitor has gained a considerable advantage at the first event, at swimming, which he was able to keep until the end of the competition, and with his great performance he left behind the other field members by far. The runner up reached the finish line only several minutes after him.
“I read about the competition only two days before the event, and decided to take part, but it did not mean an extra challenge for me, as I have a two-hour workout each day and run four times a week, every time 10-12 kilometres" – the Staff Sergeant told us, who regularly takes part in the HDF competitions in Hungary. In spite of that he was surprised that he was able to win the day among the international competitors so easily.
The MFO organisers took special care to make sure that the competition starts already at 06:00 am, so that the competitors can take up work at the usual time. The Hungarian winner however was very “lucky", as he had to report for night duty in the evening, so he had a whole day for relaxation.
The Staff Sergeant serving as a patrolman of the Force Military Police Unit (FMPU) is preparing in the near future for an even more demanding test: the Half Marathon to be staged on Friday, November 4 in Ras Mohammed, Egypt, which Lajos Bondár – together with several other members of the Hungarian contingent – will also enter. Hopefully he will again achieve an outstanding result there.
