Promising talents shine at speed skating championship

MUSCAT: The Speed Skating Championship highlighted promising talent among young skaters as 65 boys and girls took part in a sporting event aimed at promoting skating and encouraging emerging talents to practise and develop their skills.
Organised by Elite Sport Club under the supervision of the Oman Skating Sports Committee (OSSC), the championship featured skating teams from Al Dhahirah, Al Batinah North, Al Batinah South, Al Buraimi and Muscat, along with individual amateur competitors.
The event came as part of the committee’s efforts to support and develop skating sports in the Sultanate of Oman by providing competitive platforms for young talents, helping discover their abilities, refine their technical skills and strengthen the presence of skating sports across different age groups.

Participants competed in four age categories: Category A for ages 4 to 6, Category B for ages 7 to 9, Category C for ages 10 to 12, and Category D for ages 13 to 15, in addition to speed skating races.
In Category A, Natalie Navi won first place, followed by Shivank Amin in second and Ryan Abu Manshar in third. In Category B boys, Muhanna al Hasni claimed first place, with Ziyad al Waili second and Omair al Hasni third. In the girls’ competition of the same category, Sarah al Wahibi topped the standings, followed by Ding Zi Xiao and Kayan al Qumail.
In Category C boys, Saud al Yaqoubi won first place, ahead of Muadh al Amri and Ding Zi Yu. In the girls’ competition, Dhubya al Sakiti secured first place, while Rabab al Ghafri came second and Meera al Yaqoubi third.

In Category D, Saif al Mahrouqi took first place, followed by Mohsin al Amri in second and Turki al Mundhiri in third.
The speed skating races witnessed strong competition, with Nuwaira Dasi winning first place in Category A, Roxana Salehi second and Arafah Falisha third. In Category B, Spica SD topped the race, followed by Nora Balisha and Varshikan SD.

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH
Khalid bin Salim al Shaqsi, OSSC Secretary, expressed his happiness with the successful launch of the event, saying it aligned with the committee’s objectives to enhance skating sports, develop athletes and qualify young people in administrative and technical fields.
He added that the committee continues to expand its programmes in various skating disciplines, noting the recent participation of national team players in an international camp in Belarus.

“We seek to expand the committee’s programmes in speed skating. We congratulate all winners, but the biggest victory is the interaction and record participation witnessed in the first speed skating event,” he said.
Abdullah al Sulaimani, a competitor from Muscat, said he was pleased to take part and meet skaters from across Oman. He added that this was his second speed skating championship and that he aspires to improve in speed skating and ice hockey.
Dhubya al Sakiti from Al Dhahirah said she was proud to win first place in her category at the Oman level, adding that she hopes to represent Oman globally in skating sports.
At the conclusion, Khalid bin Salim al Shaqsi honoured the winners in an atmosphere that reflected the championship's success.