MUSCAT: Oman’s youth team triumphed at the first Youth GCC Games in the United Arab Emirates, claiming three gold medals as part of a seven medal haul. Abdul Latif al Qasmi recorded a perfect score, notching eight wins from eight races to take the ILCA 4 gold medal, while Elyas al Fadali claimed gold after winning the final race of the day in the ILCA 6, and the team picked up Optimist gold.
Tamim al Balushi finished second in the Optimist fleet, in between two UAE sailors, to win the silver medal in both Optimist overall and Optimist youth competitions. Hatem al Araimi won the ILCA 6 bronze medal after finishing just a point behind his teammate in first.
Tarteel al Hasani won bronze in the Optimist girl’s competition. Teammate Hood al Nofli finished fourth overall, narrowly missing out on a podium position, Khamis al Mashaikhi finished sixth, and Mohammed al Qasmi finished 11th as a junior.
All four excelled on the water against very tough competition. Conditions remained excellent and it allowed the team to focus on the race and ensuring they were in the right positions to consistently earn the points to finish in the medal positions. The support of coach Mundher al Kindi was integral in preparing the sailors and giving them the confidence to put their training into practice.
Abdulaziz al Shidi, Oman Sail’s Sailing Development Manager and Team Lead for the GCC Youth Games, said, “This is an excellent result for our sailing team and we are very proud of the performances of our medal winners — especially Abdul Latif al Qasmi for winning eight rounds. They all sailed against very strong competition and kept their composure as the pressure increased. To bring home medals for Oman is a great achievement and we hope to build on this in the coming weeks and months. The whole team did really well and gained valuable experience as they progress into well-rounded sailors. The future of sailing in Oman is very bright with such an exciting group of sailors at Optimist and ILCA level.”
Elsewhere, Firas al Hashmi finished sixth in the ILCA 4 competition after a close series of races where just three points separated fourth to sixth positions. Tarteel al Hasani finished ninth in the Optimist with teammate Mohammed al Qasmi just behind in 11th.
Currently, the Sultanate of Oman has earned 31 medals, including 13 golds, and sits fourth in the medal table. The first Youth GCC Games features 25 individual and team sports with a total of 3,500 athletes representing the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, as well as Oman. The Oman Sailing Team is part of a 200-strong Omani delegation taking part in 14 sports throughout the event.
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