(MENAFN- Oman Sail ) 26 August 2023, Muscat – Three days of competition in Ras Al Hadd produced many extraordinary performances as 30 young sailors, aged from 10-18 years of age, from Oman Sail’s Sailing Schools raced in Optimist, ILCA 4, and ILCA 6 classes for the chance to represent the nation in upcoming regattas, both at home and internationally.
After nine races in each event, the top three sailors in each class were determined and the top ranked sailors will now take the next step in their journey on the water. A separate competition was held for girls and sailors under the age of 10 in the Optimist class.
In the Optimist overall rankings, Firas Haitham Al Nabhani notched four wins and always finished within the top three of each race to take first place ahead of Tamim Sulaiman Al Balushi who also scored four wins but finished just three points behind. Abdul Rahman Khalid Al Hadi finished in the top three in five of the nine races to secure third place.
The Optimist Girls race was won by Tarteel Zaid Al Hasani after six successive race victories. She finished four points ahead of Hadeel Yusof Al Meshafri. In the Under-10 category, Habib Abdul Aziz Al Hasini won seven of the nine races to claim victory by five points over Harib Mohsin Al Busaidi. Both competitors showed excellent sailing skills at such a young age and will be considered ones to watch in the coming years.
The ILCA 4 fleet, the largest of the competition featuring 14 sailors, was won by Hatem Mohsin Khamis Al Araimi with six wins and an eight point lead over Elyas Bader Mohammed Al Adawi in second and Faisal Hamed Mohammed Al Adawi a further three points back. Between the three sailors they scored eight wins, seven second places and three third places, which underlined the quality of sailing on show.
Visiting sailor Sultan Khalid Al Owais from the United Arab Emirates took a narrow victory in the ILCA 6 class, just one point ahead of Al Salim Ali Salim Al Hamdani after trading wins throughout. Al Owais finished with five victories to Al Hamdani’s four. Salah Maqbol Al Mabsali finished third.
The medallists received their prizes at the closing ceremony, held at Ras Al Hadd Castle. Dr Hashil Bin Obaid Al Mahrouqi, CEO of OMRAN Group, was the guest of honour.
Dr Khamis Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail, said, “The skill on show over the past three days was incredibly impressive for such young sailors. We have high hopes for the future of sailing in Oman, and the young team will play an integral part in achieving our goals and realising our ambitions as part of a national program to develop the sport. Oman Sail will now work closely with the athletes to prepare them for upcoming races as they join our Performance Pathway and represent our nation proudly around the world.”
The sailors have been selected from Oman Sail’s Sailing Schools at Al Mouj Muscat, Barceló Mussanah Resort and Sur. Five sailors from the Al-Hamriyah Sailing Team in the United Arab Emirates were also invited to compete as part of their own preparations for the upcoming season.
Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 sailors had been based in Ras Al Hadd for a summer-long training camp where they had been taking part in daily fitness sessions with Oman Sail coaches and completing courses on nutrition and boat safety.
Oman Sail also wrapped up a three-month community sailing program in Ras Al Hadd to introduce 100 local children to the sport. The kids, aged 10-15 years of age, had the chance to enjoy free Try Sailing sessions with Oman Sail coaches and develop basic on-water skills with the aim of growing the popularity of sailing locally and sharing Oman’s maritime heritage with the community.
Planning will soon begin for Mussanah Race Week, held at Barceló Mussanah Resort from 18-24 October, where 50 sailors from across the region will compete in the Optimist, ILCA 4 and ILCA 7 classes. Following that, the national Optimist team take part in the 2023 IODA Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship, being held in Abu Dhabi from 29 October to 5 November 2023.
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