Zeyadi looking for the experience

Young UAE sailor Hamoud Salem Zeyadi will be looking for the experience rather than a medal in Optimist sailing at this month's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

"He is still very young, but he has shown so much of maturity and cleverness in his sailing," Zeyadi's coach Omar Badzara told Gulf News.

The 12-year-old Zeyadi has been a phenomenal success ever since he started sailing a couple of years back. Last month, he was crowned Gulf champion in the Optimist class at the Gulf Beach Games held in Bahrain.

"That is a success he can build upon," coach Badzara said.

"But we will not be pushing him as we want him to first enjoy his experience on the water among such a high-quality field at an event like the Asian Games. Sailors from China, Singapore and Thailand have gone through programmes at various sailing academies over the past four to eight years and here they are ready to compete for top honours at the Asian Games. But in contrast we have been paying adequate attention to academics as well while finding the time in-between to train and compete at competitions in and around the region," Badzara said.

Zeyadi and Adil Khalid will be the two sailors representing the UAE at the Asian Games in sailing to be held at the Guangdong Waters Sports Centre in Shanwei .