Muscat, A four-strong Oman Sail youth team

have made impressive progress while racing against a highly

competitive international fleet at the Laser 4.7 Youth World

Championships.

Each of the sailors � all aged 16 or 17 and selected from the

Omantel Youth Sailing Programme � posted a number of strong results

during the intense six-day regatta in Gdynia, Poland while competing

against 280 sailors from 41 countries.

The young Oman Sail team faced a crowded race course and

changing winds on the Baltic Sea, with challenging light conditions

over the final two days.

The team faced many challenges during the regatta and it is good to

report that they all performed well in sometimes difficult conditions,

said Laser 4.7 coach Ahmed al-Wahaibi.

He added, They have all worked hard in Gdynia and at the

training camp before, and have been able to develop their skills and

learn new disciplines which will be of great value at future events.

Abdulmalik al-Hinai, from Oman Sail’s Al Mouj Muscat sailing

school, finished 39th overall in the 69-strong second-tier Silver fleet,

and had been better placed until two capsizes in the final races cost

him valuable points.

Also racing in the Silver fleet, Salim al-Alawi, representing the

Marina Bandar Al Rowdha school, finished 55th overall, with sailing

schoolmate Hussain al-Mansoori placed 56th in the Bronze fleet.

The youngest member of the Oman Sail team, Ali al-Sa’adi from

Al Mussanah Sailing School, finished 60th in the Bronze fleet at his

first world championship Laser event.

The whole team have grown in confidence during the championship

and it has been a valuable learning experience, said Omantel Youth

Sailing Programme Manager Mohsin al-Busaidi.

After all their work here and at the recent Asian Sailing Championships

in Jakarta, the whole Omantel team can be positive when they look

ahead to the Oman Sailing Championships and then the Asian Games,

which is the main focus this year, he added.

Source: Oman News Agency