GCC Sailing Chionships: Three gold two bronze for Oman

3/10/2016 7:04:22 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily)

Oman's young sailors did the country proud when they claimed an overall team gold in the Optimist class at the eighth GCC Sailing Championships that concluded at Belaj Aljazair Bahrain recently.

It was a successful outing for the Omani sailors as they also scooped two more gold and two bronze to return home with five medals.

The Optimist team has been dominating the regional events claiming titles in 2013 and 2014.

However Oman had to settle for a silver in the last edition at home. In Bahrain it made up for last year's disappointment to win gold.

Samiha al Riyami

The Oman team comprised Al Moatasem al Farsi Samiha al Riyami Jihad al Hassani Mohammed al Qasmi and Alaa al Amrani.

All the sailors are aged between 12 and 14 years and are being nurtured as part of the Omantel Youth Programme managed by Oman Sail. Zakariya al Wahabi claimed the individual honours in the Laser 4.7 class while his teammate Marwan al Jabri finished sixth.Wahabi had also won the Laser 4.7 event at the Mussanah Race Week in January.

The second gold was clinched by the talented Samiha al Riyami who successfully defended her title in the girls' Optimist class. Hussain al Jabri another winner at the Mussanah Race Week claimed a bronze in the Laser Standard class. The other bronze was won by the promising Al Moatasem in the fiercely competitive Optimist class.

The GCC Sailing Championships featured sailors from all the six countries Oman Saudi Arabia UAE Kuwait Bahrain and Qatar - in the Optimist Laser Radial Laser Standard and Laser 4.7 classes with J24 making its debut.

Zakariya al Wahabi

Speaking on the team's performance Mohsin al Busaidi team manager of Oman Sail's youth programme said 'It was a good opportunity to measure performances and progress against other teams in the region. Each year we see significant improvements in the standards of our sailors and the achievements in Bahrain were against the best youngsters in the region.

"This is a talented squad and it is encouraging to see the sailors work hard and do well but there is a long way to go. We have created a momentum in youth sailing which will serve as a platform to do well in world-class competitions.'

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