MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s women’s sailing team has returned from the first Arab Women’s Sailing Championship at the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association at Al Jazaeer Beach, Zallaq in Bahrain, with a bronze medal for Hadeel al Mushaifri in the Optimist competition. This marks an impressive performance in the debut edition of the championship.
Hadeel finished just two points off second place after a series of podium finishes in the final four races where she achieved two second places and two third places. Teammate Tarteel al Hasani finished second in the penultimate race and won the final race, but this was not enough to overcome a difficult start, leaving her in eighth place in a congested fleet. Abeer al Zakwani finished in ninth. The Optimist title was won by Malak al Doseri of Bahrain with seven first places out of 10 races. Madiya al Nayadi of the UAE won silver.
In the ILCA 6 competition, Ibtisam al Salmi was Oman’s highest finisher in seventh. Marwa al Khaifi finished 11th, but fourth in the Under 18 category. Ines Gmati of Tunisia dominated the fleet to win overall gold with eight first place finishes, ahead of Ameena Shah of Kuwait and Malak Dardouri of Tunisia. Ines Chellali of Algeria won the Under 18 gold. Camelia al Kubaisi of the UAE finished second and Lulwa al Ali from Bahrain finished third.
The team was led by Sultan bin AbdulAziz al Zadjali and coached by Hussain bin Said al Jabri.
Sultan AbdulAziz al Zadjali, Team Leader, said, “We are very pleased with the performance of our team. Many of the sailors are still in the early stages of their development but showed how much potential they have. Winning a medal and finishing in the middle of a competitive fleet is an excellent achievement and we are very proud to represent Oman at this level. The Women’s Arab Sailing Championship is already an incredibly important event for women’s sailing and with the talent on show, we hope the event can grow in the years to come.”
Hadeel al Mushaifri, said, “This was a very valuable learning experience. I am pleased with my performance, the bronze medal, and to represent my nation in sailing. Oman Sail has been very supportive of my sailing journey, and I am looking to repay this encouragement by continuing to improve. It was great to meet so many female sailors from across the region, learn from those more experienced than myself, and show that sailing is a sport for all.”
The first Arab Women’s Sailing Championship featured 22 sailors from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the five representing Oman.
The first Arab Women’s Sailing Championship was organised by the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association in collaboration with the Arab Sailing Federation.
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