Advertisement

Youthful Emirati team prepare for future at FINA World Championships

UAE swimming is building for the future as a youthful team prepare to compete at the FINA World Championships in Russia.

Olympian Mubarak Salem Al Besher leads a five-strong team hoping to make a splash at the championships, with 19-year-old open water talent Abdullah Hatem getting things underway for the UAE on Saturday in the 5K event.

Al Besher, at 27, is considered a veteran in a group that contains three swimmers aged 19, including Yaqoob Al Saadi and Nada Al Bedwani, as well as 16-year-old Alia Al Shamsi.

Al Besher competed for the UAE in the 100m breaststroke at London 2012, finishing 42nd in the heats, and team coach Mohamed El Zanaty says he has really taken to his role as the team’s father figure.

“The team is very close and Mubarak, being the most experienced, is the leader. He has competed in the Olympics and he doing a good job as team leader,” he said.

El Zanaty believes medals will be hard to come by in Kazan but says the experience will be invaluable for the four teenagers. They are already assured of history.

The event will be the first time any female Emirati swimmer will compete at a world championships. It will also be the first time an Emirati will take part in the open water section on the world stage.

“To win medals will be hard. That is our dream for the future but not now,” said El Zanaty. “It is not impossible but it will not be easy, but we have to plan for the future. UAE swimming is already on the map, we are one of the leading nations in the Middle East and Asia. We are in a good position but it is our dream to have more of an impact on the world.”

- VIDEO: Dubai Sports World opens its gates for the summer
- DSW: Al Sahlawi encourages Emirati women to participate

After competing in the 5K today, Hatem will swim in the 10K on Monday. Al Besher, Al Saadi, Al Bedwani and Al Shamsi will compete in the indoor events between August 2-9.

Hatem has a bright future, according to El Zanaty. He said: “It will be a new experience for him, there will be a great atmosphere and it will be great for him to compete against some of the world’s top athletes. Abdullah is very talented. He has been one of the best UAE swimmers for three or four years and he could become one of the best in the Middle East.”

The UAE coach has also hailed the barriers being broken by the team’s two female swimmers, Al Bedwani and Al Shamsi.

“This is the first time ever that there will be female Emirati swimmers at the World Championships. This is a huge step for the women’s sport and both Nada and Alia are motivated to learn more,” he said.


Related Links