Oman Sail’s leading windsurfer Waleed Al Kindi continues his European summer of training and competition in June when he lines up against a mainly British RS:X field at the prestigious Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth, UK.
On the back of three Olympic classes regattas at Hyeres in France, Garda in Italy and Medemblik in Holland, Al Kindi has travelled to Weymouth in England where the sailing competition for the London Olympics 2012 was held.
Sail for Gold, from June 1-6, is one of four regattas in the 2014 EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup which is open to Olympic and aspiring Olympic sailors from around the world and complements the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup events.
Al Kindi lines up against 11 other windsurfers including Nick Dempsey, the Olympic silver medallist from 2012 and seven other Brits racing in their home waters. Winds and tides in Weymouth, recognised as some of the most challenging in the world, will make for some testing times for the Omani but he believes his stint in Europe, comprising an intensive programme of training and competition, has prepared him well for the Weymouth event.
“This will be another step forward for me in my Olympic campaign in terms of a different competition, against different athletes in different waters,” he said.
“My aim is to carry on showing improvements and learning and I hope to come away with some more valuable experiences.
“Everything I have learned in the past few weeks in Europe about competing at this level are things I can take into the next competition and experiences I can share with youngsters back in Oman when I get home.”
Oman Sail’s Laser sailor Ahmed Al Balushi will also be back in action in Weymouth, competing at the 2014 Laser Europa Cup, which is being held for the first time in the UK for many years. The Europa Cup event runs from May 30th to June 1st
