Wednesday, November 06
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Young stars shine on first day of Oman Sail’s Mussanah Race Week

5 Oct 2024

Muscat – The opening day of Oman Sail’s Mussanah Race Week brought great sailing, displays of sportsmanship and perfect conditions for the 104 sailors from eight countries to showcase their talents. Taking to the water in all classes at the event, the Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7 and para inclusive RS Venture Connect sailors showed why the 13th edition of Mussanah Race Week could be the best yet.

The Optimist sailors managed one race on the first day, won by Khalifa al Romaithi of the UAE, ahead of Shreya Krishna Lakshminarayanan from India and Abdulla Yahya of UAE. Omani sailor Khamis al Mashakhi finished seventh, just ahead of Hassan al Wahaibi in eighth, Firas al Nabhani in ninth and Tamim al Balushi in eleventh.

Just one race was staged in the ILCA 4 as well, and it was dominated by the sailors from India. Shashank Batham leads, ahead of Eklavya Batham in second and Somya Singh Patel in third. Teammate Akshat Kumar Dohare is fifth. Oman’s Abdulatif al Qasmi is fourth and Firas al Hashmi ended the day in seventh.

The first race in the ILCA 6 proved successful for Oman’s sailors, taking five of the top seven spots. The leader going into day two is Othman al Hammadi of UAE, with four Omanis close behind. Hatem al Araimi in second, Elyas al Fadhali in third, Al Moatsem al Farsi in fourth and Al Salim al Hamdani in fifth. Meshari al Hadhrami finished seventh.

It was Oman’s day in the ILCA 7 as their sailors are in the top three spots. Husain al Jabri leads after the first race with Abdulmalik al Hinai in second and Ali al Saadi in third. Muhanned al Shikili is fifth.

UAE’s Hamza al Ali, currently fourth in the ILCA 7, has been competing at Mussanah Race Week since 2014. He said, “I am always thankful for the opportunity to sail here. It’s an exceptional event and the organisation is excellent. Mussanah Race Week provides valuable experience for sailors, offering us the chance to develop skills and expertise while also serving as the ideal preparation for upcoming championships due to the ideal sailing conditions.”

Four Omani para inclusive sailors showed that sailing is a sport for all with a valiant display in the RS Venture Connect competition. The crew of Zahir al Atbi and Ahmed al Shikili leads from Sultan al Wahabi and Adil al Siyabi in second, Sami al Sulaymi and Hassan al Lawati in third, and Ghaliya al Jabri and Malik al Qartobi in fourth.

Zahir al Atbi, RS Venture Connect sailor from Oman, added, “It is great to see that para inclusive sailing is part of Mussanah Race Week again this year. Sailing is a wonderful experience for everyone, giving a sense of freedom on the water, and a chance to race as equals. Everyone sailing this week will benefit from increased confidence and experience, as well as the happiness that being part of such a large event brings.”

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