Action from the FINA Open Water Challenge at the Doha Corniche, yesterday. Pics: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Doha: A day before the FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series in Doha, Qatari youngsters impressed with their swimming skills at the Open Water Challenge which saw hundreds of local kids and adults taking a plunge at the Corniche yesterday.
Over 360 Qatari kids from the neighbouring schools and adults gathered for the challenge to exactly sample the same experience as the world’s best swimmers are participating in the Series today.
Young Qatari swimmers dominated the boys categories with Hssine Fahd Mohamed (Boys 11-14), Jacob Al Khulaifi (Boys 15-17) and Ahmed Sameh (Boys 18-24) winning their respective contests.
The goal of the Open Water Challenge was to enable people of all abilities to swim the same course on Doha’s picturesque Corniche. Several other categories were also competed during the day.
The exclusive experience also witnessed participants enjoy the same facilities and full services as the elite athletes, including the athlete pre-race call-room, the same starting platform, live athlete tracking and entering the post-race mixed zone, enabling everyone to be a world-class athlete for the day and hopefully inspire the young talents of tomorrow.
Commenting on the Open Water Challenge, President of the Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) and FINA Bureau Member, Khaleel Al Jabir, said: “While we aim to organise the FINA /HOSA Marathon Swim World Series to the highest possible level for all participants, our ambitions go far beyond this. We are determined to use the opportunity to grow and develop swimming by showcasing the sport to new audiences and creating an enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone.”
Today’s women’s elite competition take place at 08:30am, while the men’s competition is at 1:30pm.
