MUSCAT: Oman Sail capped off an excellent week of racing at the 2023 Pan Arab Games by claiming four medals and overall team gold in the Optimist class. The Omani team occupied the top four spots in Optimist with Tameem Suleiman al Balushi taking gold after eight superb races, Hassan Nasser al Wahaibi winning silver, Feras Haitham Al Nabhani picking up bronze, and Soud Talib Al Shaqsi winning the last race of the competition to move up to fourth.
This success was followed by an equally impressive performance in ILCA 4 where Hatem Mohsin al Oreimi finished in second behind Waleed Daraan of Bahrain who led throughout, and teammate Abdullatif Zaid al Qasmi ended the race in fourth.
Ahmed Hassan Al Balushi finished fourth in the ILCA 7 competition, level on points with Boussouar Abdelkhalid of Algeria in third. The event was won by Abdulla Janahi of Bahrain who won eight of the 10 races to seal victory with a day to spare.
The Oman team ends the 2023 Pan Arab Games in Algeria with one gold medal, two silver medals and a bronze, as well as the team prize, after what was an incredibly successful campaign. Abdulaziz Al Shadi and Nawaf al Ghadani from Oman Sail were also selected to be part of the race committee.
Dr Khamis al Jabri, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Sail, praised the team’s efforts. He said, “We are very proud of the entire team. This is an excellent achievement for the sailors, the technical staff, coaches, and everyone at Oman Sail who has supported their journey. Competition within the region is very tough and it takes a strong character to maintain such a high level of performance day after day. We hope this is just the start of a successful career on the water for our young talents and will serve as motivation to reach the very top of the sport.”
Following the conclusion of racing in Algiers, the fleets came together to celebrate each other’s achievements at a prize giving ceremony attended by His Excellency Saif Al Badai, Oman’s Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, and Sheikh Khalifa Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Arab Sailing Federation.
The 15th edition of the Pan Arab Games featured 3,800 athletes from 18 countries competing in 20 sports across five cities.
Upon returning to Oman, the busy season will continue for the youth squad. First on the schedule is the Oman Sailing Championship in Ras Al Hadd from 24-28 August 2023, and then the team will prepare for this year’s Mussanah Race Week taking place from 18-24 October 2023 at Barceló Mussanah Resort.
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