Oman strikes first silver as sailors script history

MUSCAT: Omani sailing pair of Musab al Hadi and Waleed al Kindi snatched silver medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Tuesday. Oman’s duo managed to earn the silver in the men's 49er sailing after tough competition with the Japanese sailors Singen Furuya and Akira

Takayanagi and Indian sailors Ganapathy Kelapanda Chengappa and and Varun Ashok Thakkar.

The silver triumph meant, Oman claimed their first ever silver in the Asian Games history after one gold and three bronzes in the previous editions of the Asian Games. Olympian sprinter Mohammed al Malki had entered the Sultanate of Oman in the history when he became the first Omani to claim a gold in the men’s 400m race in Beijing Games in 1990. Al Malki had also bagged a bronze medal in the same category in Asian Games in Seoul in 1986.

Oman’s men’s 4x100m relay team won the bronze medal in Bangkok Games in 1998 while the latest Asian bronze medal was won by Oman’s fastest sprint Barakat al Harthy in men’s 100m at the 2010 Guangzhou Games in China.

Oman’s duo sailors forthcoming assignment will be securing slot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as they managed to book spot in the Asian Qualification Regatta in Thailand which will be held in coming December.

Commenting after the accomplishment, Hashim bin Hamad al Rashidi, Oman Sail’s Head Coach Performance, expressed his delight with the effort.

“Special thanks to our stars as they managed to earn this crucial silver medal after tough competitions. This accomplishment is made after an intensive warm-up programme and continuous training sessions besides attending different events domestically and internationally. It was a strong test for the national sailors in presence of top sailors in Asian continent. Our focus is now shifted to the Asian qualification and then to secure slot in the next Olympic Games,” he said.

The pair sailed excellently throughout the week in Ningbo, China, and kept their composure in the final intense races to take silver. This achievement means the team has secured automatic qualification to the Asian Qualification Regatta in Chon Buri, Thailand, in December where they will look to confirm their place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Al Rashidi added: “We have kept this participation in mind as the next step will be in the quest to obtain a seat in the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers, which will be held in December 2023.”

After the end of the races, Musab al Hadi said: “We are very happy to represent the Sultanate of Oman in this major continental event, and we are delighted to win a silver medal for our nation. We dedicate this achievement to our dear homeland, and to all those who supported us on this journey, the technical staff and our colleagues at Oman Sail.”

HOCKEY HOPES HIT

Meanwhile in Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium, Oman hockey team hopes suffered a setback after they registered their second successive defeat against Malaysia 11-1 on Tuesday in Group B. Oman had lost 3-2 against hosts China in the opener.

Oman’s shooting team comprising Issam al Balushi and Siham al Hasani failed to advance to the next level of the competitions in the Mixed Team 10m Air Rifle as they finished 13th among 21 teams.

The national shooters scored 622.6 points. Oman’s shooters including Siham al Hasani and Amina al Tarshi will take part in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women's Qualification.

Oman’s swimmer Issa al Adawi will compete on Wednesday in the Men's 200m Freestyle qualification and will look for better show than his previous attendance in the 100m and 50m freestyle competitions. His teammate Abdulrahman al Kulaibi will compete in the men’s 100m

butterfly competitions.

Oman’s top sprinter Barakat al Harthy arrived to Hangzhou on Tuesday to take part with his teammates in the athletics competitions. This is the fourth participation for Barakat in the Asian Games and he is among the expected candidates to claim another medal for Oman in this participation. The athletics team includes Barakat al Harthy, Ali al Balushi, Mohammed al Saadi, Rashid al Asmi, Khalid al Ghilani, Fatik Abdulghafoor, Salim al Yarubi and Hussin al Farsi. The athletics team will begin their competitions on Friday at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.