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.
He competed at the Ironman world championships in Hawaii in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004 before finally winning there in 2005. The favorite that year, fellow German Normann Stadler, withdrew due to flat tyres. At the 2007 championships, Faris did not compete due to a case of gastroenteritis the morning of the race.
In addition to his athletic training, al-Sultan was a graduate student at Ludwig Maximilians 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 in order to focus on triathlons.