The Sultanate’s most promising sailing talents concluded a two-day ranking race in Al Mussanah Sports City last weekend with Al Mouj Muscat Sailing School emerging victorious as the overall winner. The motivated 72 children, between the ages of 9 – 17, took a chance to gauge their skills and performances aboard the Optimist class, the Laser 4.7, and the windsurfing Techno 293 class. Coming in second place overall was Sur Sailing School, the newest of the Oman Sail sailing schools, which brought the biggest team in number and came out in a promising result. Narrowly behind in third place came Mussanah Sailing School, with Marina Bander Al Rowdha Sailing School closing in fourth.
In the Optimist class which saw 49 kids participating, Omantel Youth Programme sailors who have GCC and international experience under their belts led the way after rounds of racing in challenging medium to strong wind conditions and very high waves. Oman’s promising female sailor, Samiha Al Riyami (Al Mouj) came out on top in the Optimists for the first time, followed by Al Motasem Al Farsi (Mussanah) and Mohammed Al Qasmi (Al Mouj). In the upper class, the Laser 4.7, Laith Al Mahrouqi (Al Mouj) scooped an outright win, after close contention with both Salim Al Alawi and Marwan Al Jabri of Marina Bander Al Rowdha who came second and third respectively. Seven windsurfers rounded up the two days in fierce competition with Abdul Majeed Al Hadhrami (Mussanah) coming as the top winner, Abdullah Al Sarihi (Mussanah) coming in second place, and Omar Al Qartoubi (Mussanah) in third place.
To motivate the sailors, Oman Sail youth mentors introduced a reward for the best talent who can make a leap in terms of results from the previous ranking race, and this weekend saw Hussain Al Oaisi (Al Mouj) claiming the title for his notable performance.
The two days racing concluded with a closing ceremony and prize giving attended by Abdul Hussain Al Ajmi principal of Al Khaleel bin Ahmed Al Farahidi school, and joined by parents and Oman Sail coaches who gathered to celebrate the winners.
The ranking race sailors represented Oman Sail’s four sailing schools and were selected using a set of criteria that included sailing skills and sportsmanship. For most of the sailors, this was a first time experience where they had to deal with intense competition from other schools and within strict racing conditions outside of their sailing centre. The ranking races provide Oman Sail coaches with regular updates as part of the established Performance Pathway, a roadmap that outlines the stages of progress from youth level to professional sailing, culminating in the ultimate goal of winning a medal for Oman in sailing at the 2024 Olympic Games.
This ranking event marks the start of a busy summer season for young sailors with the next ranking race event scheduled from April 29th – 30th.
