22 May 2022
Aspire Academy current Student-Athlete Yousef Hassan ruled the pool at the Sheikh Nasser Al- Mohammed Aquarium Complex in Kuwait after he set a new GCC Games record in the men’s 200m backstroke final.
Hassan clocked 2:09.62min for the gold while Kuwait’s Ali Al Tanak (2:11.27) came second followed by Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al Essa (2:11.82) as Qatari swimmers ended their campaign in the 3rd GCC Games with 18 medals (three gold, eight silver and seven bronze).
A chunk of these medals were claimed by Academy current students, who were confidence personified at the regional multi-sports competition.
Another youngster, Mohamed Mahmoud also used this opportunity to leave an indelible impression of his hard work and a steely resolve.
The 18-year-old finished third in the 100m freestyle event to add to his silver (100m breaststroke) in the competition.
The duo of Yousef and Mahmoud helped Qatar win the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay while Kareem Salama picked up a bronze in the 800m freestyle.
The over-all strong performance by Qatari swimmers at the GCC Games also re-affirmed Aspire Academy’s long-term vision on producing talented athletes for the various national teams.