Laser focused: Tragedy spurs sailor

There's not a trace of any breeze blowing through the early morning sky as the waters by the Emirates Sailing School in the UAE capital look absolutely calm. Surely, that's enough to rattle any sailor, especially one who is preparing for the Olympics, but not Adil Khalid. This carefree young Emirati gives you the impression that few things in life bother him.

He has had to deal with much worse than inappropriate sailing conditions in the past month. While on a 12-day training stint in China, Khalid learnt of the tragic death of his close friend, Nasser Omran Abdullah Al Marzouk, in a motorcycle accident in Abu Dhabi. And how did he take the news? "How are you going to take it? Like everyone else," he says, managing to smile.

Since he has no choice but to wait for the wind to kick in, we decide to have a chat inside the school headquarters that are slowly coming to life.

I spot a picture of Khalid in action framed on the wall. His accomplishment of flying the UAE flag in Beijing is obviously treasured by the school where he also works as a part-time coach.

Preparations, he says, began in January, having spent a major part of that time in Europe training on his own and competing. However, the passion to sail gripped him much before.

"My cousin used to sail. I was a dhow sailor before. I started Laser sailing in 2001 and became European champion in Laser 4.7 in 2003," he says. Ever since then there has been no looking back. I ask him what he'd be satisfied with achieving in China. "Gold for sure!" he declares. Clearly this is a man brimming with confidence, but isn't that a daunting prospect for a first-time Olympian considering UAE are making their sailing debut at the Olympics? He explains: "I was in China and I practised with the best in the world. I know their sailing skills and their tactics.

"For sure I'll bring the medal. I know myself. If I'm not going to the Olympics with the aim of winning the medal, then I don't think I should be going at all," he adds.

The loss of Al Marzouk, who was also a fine sailor hoping to join his friend in Beijing, fuels Khalid's motivation. "For sure, he was my best friend. He was like, ‘You're sailing' but he would tell me if I got hurt, he would race in my place," says Khalid.

Finally, a gentle breeze fills the air much to Khalid's delight. He heads out to his boat to make the most of it before the blazing sun adds to his problems. We decide to keep pace with him in an old dingy motorboat powered by a stuttering engine.

As he goes through his routine, I notice that his smile has broadened into a look of contentment. Whether the 25 year old has a similar look on his face upon returning from Beijing, we will soon find out.

Knowing Khalid

• A Dubai resident, Khalid is the 2007 Pan Arab Games champion in Laser Radial
• Khalid likes to party and prefers sailing to football. "I don't like breaking my legs," he says, though he is an Al Ahli fan
• His other passions are dune bashing and listening to both Arabic and English music