BEIJING // Swimmer Obaid Ahmed Obaid bowed out of the Olympic Games in style yesterday as he set a new UAE record in the 100m freestyle. Obaid finished last in his heat - but his time of 53.29secs, set before a capacity crowd of 17,000 in Beijing's iconic Water Cube pool, is a new national record.
The previous record, also held by Obaid, was 53.7secs. In the race, Obaid came in just 1.6 secs behind the heat winner Jan Roodzant from the Caribbean island of Aruba. "I feel excited about the record and just to swim in front of so many people in such a great swimming pool was amazing," said Obaid, 27. "I could never have imagined it would be like that. "From the outside the venue looks great and inside the atmosphere was incredible.
"It was absolutely full. I felt like I should be playing in a football match, not swimming." But the race is just one of many happy memories he will take from Beijing, his second Olympics after Athens 2004. "The environment here is just great for athletes. I met so many new friends in the Olympic Village - I think I have a new friend from every sport," he said. Among those new friends is the Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal, with whom he took a picture.
"Rafa has very big arms - but don't forget I am a swimmer and I too have big muscles," said Obaid. Obaid plans to stay for another two days in Beijing, where he will continue to train, before returning to the Emirates to compete in the Gulf swimming championships in Abu Dhabi beginning on August 21. Barely a week will pass after the championships before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, which for Obaid means very early morning and late evening training around the period of fasting during the day.
"There will be no rest for me," he said cheerfully. And he is hoping that if he can maintain his form, he will be able to compete in his third Olympic Games in London 2012. "I hope the third time for me will come," he said. @Email:sports@thenational.ae
