ABU DHABI // Kuwait added eight more gold medals to take their tally to 18 from the 24 on offer in the age group events on the penultimate day of the 19th Gulf swimming championships at the Al Jazira Club's indoor pool. The juniors of Kuwait were as superior in the pool as their seniors had been at the start of the week-long championships. It took a couple of record breaking performances from Saudi Arabia's Hazim Tashkandi and Nazir Mahmoud, and a first gold for Oman from Amir Ahmed, to deny the Kuwaitis from another giant effort. The Saudi U12 quartet also bagged the 4x100m freestyle.
Tashkandi won the 400m medley for Under 17s in a record 4mins and 49.07secs from Marzouq Faisal al Oulan of Kuwait and his Saudi compatriot Saad Ali al Qahtani. Mahmoud took the 50m butterfly for U17 in a record 26.04 from Dawood al Khalifi of Kuwait and the UAE's Abdulla Sulaiman al Dhahiri. Kuwait bagged three golds in the same age group with Abdulla Fahad al Bader claiming the 400m medley and Abdulla Ali al Thuwaini winning the 50m backstroke, and victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Louai Tashkandi of Saudi Arabia took the silver from Abbas Mohammed Hassan of Kuwait in the 400m medley whilst Qatari Abdulrahman Eissa and Ahmed al Hosani of the UAE filled in the minor places in the 50m backstroke. @email:apassela@thenational.ae
