Promising show by bin Lahej

Promising UAE sailor Yousef bin Lahej ended his participation in the 2002 international Spa-Reggatta at Medemblik, Holland, with another positive performance in extremely difficult conditions.

With winds blowing up to 40 knots Yousef battled the conditions, and a strong field of 67 sailors, to secure a praise-worthy mid-place finish in the Laser class. It was his 14th start in five-days of demanding racing and the 22-year-old Dubai helmsman finished 32nd.

Commenting on Yousef's performance, UAE national coach Sid Ahmed told Gulf News from Medemblik. "The conditions were really, really tough, and presented a severe test for Yousef.

"Under the circumstance he has benefited immensely and is a much-improved sailor. Obvio-usly he realises that he has to still improve in order to secure better results.

"The main objective was to give him an opportunity to compete with the best in the world and in that regard the regatta more than served its purpose," he added.

Ahmed, who remains confident that Yousef has the required skills and ability to become a top sailor, said it was important to put his performance in perspective.

"Let's not forget that Yousef has only been sailing competitively for two years. He has had to make a lot of adjustments to his technique and attitude when moving up in class," he said. "It's like a Formula 3 racer attempting to compete against the big boys in F1. It's a totally different level of competition altogether and Yousef will have learned a lot."

Asked in which specific areas Yousef needed to improve Ahmed said: "The key is perhaps fitness. You might have a sound technique but if you don't have the fitness and strength to combat tough conditions, you don't stand a chance," Ahmed pointed out.

"This was very much in evidence in Medemblik where the wind conditions were very extreme. Many races were delayed or postponed because of the wind speed. Fourty knots is equivalent to approximately 80 kilometres per hour which is awesome when you consider you're sitting in a little boat with a sail," he added.

"We also need to work more on the starts and the down-wind part. Yousef has improved a lot on his starts but he still needs some catching up to do in the middle part of the race, where superior strength and technique will give the sailor an added advantage."

Ahmed said that Yousef will participate in an international clinic with the best sailors over the next week before he returns to Dubai to continue his preparations for the World Champion-ships in Marseille next July and the 2004 Olympic Games, his long-term target.

The Laser class was won by World and Olympic champion Robert Scheidt from Brazil, who dominated most of the 14 races. British sailor Edward Wright finished second and Sweden's Karl Suneson third.

A field of 148 sailors from over 36 countries participated in the Laser class.