Oman bag two medals at GCC swimming tourneys

MUSCAT, JULY 13

Oman’s swimmers concluded their campaign at the 29th edition of the GCC Swimming Championships with a silver and a bronze medal. The gulf event which was hosted at Khalifa Sports Complex in Bahrain during July 11–13 saw standout performances by Omani swimmers including: Hussain Taha, who earned silver in the 200 metres Singles Medley, and Ali al Hassani, who clinched bronze in the 100 metre Freestyle. Their achievements were notable given the fierce competition and unexpected decision to eliminate age group categories just few days before the event began by the organisers.

Bahrain topped the overall medal table with 42 medals including 19 gold, followed by Saudi Arabia with 55 medals including 12 gold, and Kuwait with 25 medals including seven gold. Oman finished with two medals including one silver and one bronze.

Several participating nations, including Oman, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the sudden decision to cancel all age-based categories, converting the entire event to an open focusing on senior category format. This late change put younger swimmers, such as Oman’s squad which was comprising athletes aged between 13 to 17 at a competitive disadvantage, as they had to compete against seasoned swimmers aged 24 and above. Qatar and the UAE teams withdrawal from the championship and this impacted significantly on the competitive balance and technical level of the event. Oman’s coaching staff had initially prepared their athletes for age-group contests, including domestic and overseas camps.

Despite the faced challenges, Oman team swimmers delivered top performances as Hussain Taha narrowly missed podium finishes in multiple events but secured silver in the 200 metres Singles Medley with a strong technical show. The national team swimmer Ali al Hassani performed strongly in the 100 metre Freestyle as he captured bronze and nearly challenging for higher honors.

The 4x800 metre relay team comprised from Ali al Hassani, Hussain Taha, Mohammed al Wahaibi, and Khalil al Hassani, finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a medal due to the experience and age of rival teams. Other swimmers such as Mohammed al Wahaibi, Hamed al Hassani, and Mohammed al Farsi also competed in various distances with strong effort, often placing in the top six despite the tough field.