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Kids crawl to victory stand

The week-long competition is part of the Dubai Summer Surprises In-Mall events and will include daily competitions at 5pm until till August 22.

Parents brought with them all they could think of to entice their little children to crawl across a short distance on the floor covered with specially designed soft foam.

The audience was visibly excited as toddlers, unaware of the proceedings, stopped midway to gaze at the cheering crowds.

The competition was fiercer among the parents, who brought rattles, dolls, food, and sometimes gave the much-needed little push to make their kids cross the finish line.

The winners took home gift vouchers worth Dh1500, runners-up got gift vouchers worth Dh1000, and second runners-up won vouchers worth Dh500.

After a couple of rounds and much noise, one-year-old Charlize, who will be celebrating her first birthday on Friday, was chosen as the winner in group one of the contest. Charlize’s mother, Jena Mari Villarino, said she hadn’t felt so much excitement in a long time. “I’m so proud of Charlize, I didn’t know she could crawl so fast. I bought her favourite necklace along because I knew it would come in handy,” she said.

Some parents clearly had a strategy in mind. Rana Ahmad, whose 10-month-old daughter Raghad came second in the first group, said she knew Raghad loved a doll and brought it along. “She doesn’t let go of the doll when she’s at home so I thought bringing the doll here would make her crawl to get it, and it worked.”

Competition in the second group was clearly decided as one-year-old Vidhu Madhu secured the first place and 11-month-old Aaron Prince crawled to the second place. Vidhu’s father, Madhu, was more excited about the whole event itself. “This is such an exciting event to witness. It certainly is a joy to watch so many children gathered at one place,” he said.

Contests such as ‘the girl with the longest hair’, and ‘the most colourful dress’, were also organised on the sidelines of the competitions.

• UAE