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17.12.11

Ahmed gets one step closer to the podium as sailors go into the final day

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Light winds continued to greet sailors on the start of penultimate day of Arab Games held in Doha. but it was not yet over for Oman's Ahmed Al Wihaibi who out shined his colleagues and battled his way through the light winds finishing both races of the day in podium positions.

It was another quite day for the sailors. As the day started with clear skies, the teams anxiously waited for some winds after the the race committee was forced to postpone the race for two hours. The sailors tried to relax and keep their calm and focus against the frustration of waiting for stronger winds.

The Omani sailors have challenged light wind conditions for the the past three days where the races have been a game of luck and tactics, and the Omanis have had their share of misfortunes. 
After witting for almost two hours the sailors were asked to head back to the waters to start the first race of the day. Frustration continued as the teams waited again for another 40 minutes on the water before there was enough wind to race, but with patience came good winds that seemed to blow in favor for the Omani team.
Ahmed Al Wihaibi managed to keep his focus and had a great come back in the first race making the best of his observations and tactics and crossing the line in third. He then continued to battle his way through the second and final race of the day chasing the leading Bahraini sailor Abdul Rahim until the last turn and crossing the line with an impressive second place to finish the day on a high note. Al Wihaibi climbs up in the leader board and goes into the final day (19th Dec) just one place shy off the podium in the forth place overall with 27 points.
After finishing the day in the forth place, Ahmed Al Wihaibi commented: "It was not an easy day to start with. We sat for hours trying to overcome the frustration of no winds but then I tried my best to keep my cool and not let the situation stress me. And as soon as the winds picked up I just went and gave it my best and I am happy with the results."
commenting on the level of competition, Al Wihaibi added: "If anything, the Arab games have showed us a pool of great and skillful Arab sailors. The competition is fierce, and it has given me the chance to set up higher standards for myself. We are now heading towards the final day and I will try my best to keep my focus, get some consistent results, and (INSHALA) get a medal for Oman"

On the hand, team mate Ahmed Al Mashri had a day of misfortunes when he clashed with the Kuwaiti sailor in a battle around the buoy and then was disqualified by the race committee for not completing a penalty of two 360o turns which put him on the seventh place with 45 points. Similarly, the young sailor Mohammed Al Mashari faced some tough competition in the 4.7 fleet and finished the day with 38 points in the seventh position overall.
Tomorrow marks the National Day of Qatar and it will be a day off for the sailors which will give them some time to rest, check boats and equipments and reenergize for the last day of racing on 19th Dec. The weather forecast shows some heavy winds on the final day where and the sailors will try to make the most of the races to get as many points as possible for a podium finish.