Talented 15 year-old Mansoor Al Mahrouqi from Oman Sail will face the toughest challenge of his young sailing career when he lines up against 250 other athletes at the 2014 Laser Radial Youth Europeans in Aarhus, Denmark from June 26 – July 3. The regatta is expected to attract 250 Laser sailors below the age of 18 from up to 30 nations.
A member of the Omantel Oman Sail Youth Programme, co-sponsored by Oman Shipping Company, Al Mahrouqi has been an outstanding and enthusiastic competitor for Oman Sail since 2011, when he first joined as a young 'nipper' at one of their sailing school summer camps, starting off in the Optimist class. Since then he has competed in regional competitions and in 2012 was one of five Omani youngsters who dipped their toes into international competition at the International Optimist Dinghy Association's Optimist African Championships at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was an important milestone in Mansour’s learning experience as he made more progress in the African championships, facing strong winds in Cape Town and waves that crashed over the harbour breakwater.
Mansour further took a Bronze medal in the GCC Championships in 2012, a Gold medal with the team in March this year and was also selected to participate in the prestigious Arab Sailing Championships in Kuwait last October where he and the Omani team were assessed and ranked.
Earlier this year, Al Mahrouqi graduated to the Laser Radial class as part of the Omantel Oman Sail Youth Programme performance pathway designed to prepare young Omanis for top level sailing. The purpose of his participation at the 2014 Laser Radial Youth Europeans, which represents Al Mahrouqi's first competitive outing in a Laser Radial and a debut for Oman Sail, was to expose him to new challenges, said Abdulaziz Al Shidi who will travel to Aarhus as coach and mentor.
"This will be probably Mansoor's biggest challenge yet especially since he is likely to be one of the youngest and smallest competitors at the event.
"But he is a determined and self-driven young sailor and he will definitely be up to the challenge. The Laser Radial Youth Europeans is an excellent platform to put his skills to the test and strengthen his level in the Laser class".
"We are committed to providing opportunities for youngsters to explore their potential and apply their innate talent based on a clear performance pathway that ensures sporting successes in the long-term."
