Omani duo qualifies for gold fleet on National Day

In the 3^rd day of the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships sees Omani duo Musab Al Hadi with Waleed Al Kindi.

di (OMA) qualify for Gold fleet in a first for Oman at a 49er World Championship. The pair have been sailing 49er for almost a decade, and became quite emotional upon realizing their effort had secured them this milestone.

The achievement was even sweeter to occur on Oman National Day, a celebration of the founding of modern Oman on the birthday of the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Considering it was Him who drove the formation of Oman Sail, an effort to rekindle the Omani spirit of seamanship, it was as if the Sultan was looking down from overhead in the final race of qualifying.

The Omani pair were emotional after being told on shore. “Oh really? First gold fleet? Oh finally!,” said Al Hadi. Laughing and shaking his head he raised his hands to the sky and said, “First time in history. Give thanks, god.”

Al Hadi and Al Kindi were aiming at Tokyo qualification, but only managed a third place finish at the Asian qualifier in 2021.