Emarati Adil Khalid: “First the Volvo Ocean Race, then Olympics”
Adil Khalid, the first Emarati and Arab to complete the Volvo Ocean Race has told CMME that he wants to race in the 2016 Olympic Games. Crewmember Khalid’s team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing completed the gruelling 40,000 mile circumnavigation this morning coming fifth in the final leg between Lorient in France to Galway in Ireland. […]
Adil Khalid is the first Emarati to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race
Adil Khalid, the first Emarati and Arab to complete the Volvo Ocean Race has told CMME that he wants to race in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Crewmember Khalid’s team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing completed the gruelling 40,000 mile circumnavigation this morning coming fifth in the final leg between Lorient in France to Galway in Ireland. The leg was won by New Zealand’s Camper but Spanish team Groupama takes the world title after finishing second.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi)-backed boat was hampered by suspected damage to its keel but can look back with satisfaction after it survived damage to its mast hours into the nine-month event as well as winning the Atlantic crossing leg and an in-port race in the UAE capital.
Speaking ahead of the final leg in the race, Khalid told CMME that he wants to lead a UAE sailing team at the next Olympics in 2016.
“I want to develop sailing in Abu Dhabi,” he told CMME. “I want two, three people and do the Olympic Games in 2016. It’s my dream. I’ll bring people to the Olympic Games. I’ll do everything, train people, try to give them anything I didn’t get in my life I will give them to reach the Olympic level.”
Looking back at the race, he recalled how it could have ended a few hours out of Galway.
“We had started and were a hundred miles out. We had this sail change and suddenly ten minutes later the mast went down,” he said “I thought we’re a 100 miles out and we’re going to break this boat. The longest trip I had done was five days and we were in this situation. I was wondering, what am I doing? But I looked at the flag [the UAE flag proudly mounted on the aft of the boat] and thought I must do this because I love my country.”
You can read the full interview with Adil Khalid in the July issue of Construction Machinery Middle East.
