Young Omani swimmer bags three gold medals in Dubai

Muscat: Young Omani swimmer Hussain Taha won three gold medals thanks to his phenomenal showing at the Middle East Open & Junior Swimming Championship. Held at Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Taha showed the fastest results in his age group in the 200 metre and 100 metre breaststroke, and the 400 metre individual medley.

Taha, who was one of many young athletes representing Oman’s Nautilus Swim Academy at the tournament, also finished second in the 400 metre freestyle, and third in the 200 metre individual medley. His five medals made him the most decorated swimmer from Oman at the tournament. Glory was also brought by another Nautilus swimmer: Ana Graciela – all of 12 years old – broke the 30 second barrier in the 50 metre freestyle event. She finished her dash in 29.24 seconds.

“It was a great experience for our swimmers, and much needed, as we were unable to enter many international meets because of COVID-19,” said Coach Ivan Proskura. “Swimmers here had to face a battle that made them stronger.”
Many of the Nautilus athletes who travelled from Oman at the event were trained by Olympic and Paralympic-level coach Proskura, whose education, combined with their natural talent, saw many of them reach the finals of their respective competitions.

With many of Nautilus’ swimmers unable to travel because they were required to enter quarantine owing to COVID-related issues, the club could only field seven athletes at the event. Despite this setback, however, Nautilus managed to finish seventh overall.

The championship featured 39 teams from countries such as England, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the UAE and many others. Before qualifying for the tournament itself, athletes had to earn the right to compete through a series of preliminaries across the 50, 100, 200, and 400 metre events. The fastest 20 women swimmers from the 800m race, and males from the 1,500 metre race, also earned qualification.

Among the Junior Championships, winners were declared in the form of who had the best heats in their events.
“The Middle East Open & Junior Swimming Championships are considered among the biggest and most attractive event for all competitive swimmers in the region,” said Proskura. “Qualification timings needed to take part in the tournament are quite challenging, and reaching this championship is already quite an achievement for our young swimmers.

“Qualification this time around was too tough…understandable, since this a prestigious event, where all the best swimmers aim to secure a place,” he added.