Lord of the Rings

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On the eve of Adil Khalid leaving to represent the UAE at the Olympics, BOME caught an exclusive interview.

Give us your life story in three sentences?

Well I was born in the UAE and am incredibly proud to be the first person ever to represent my country at the Olympic Games in a sailing discipline. I started sailing with my cousins at the DIMC in Dubai in 2001, by 2003 I had won the European Laser Championships and in 2007 I won the Laser class in the Arab Games. My sole focus now is to come home with an Olympic gold medal from Qingdao in China.

That's a fair achievement in just seven years! Tell us how you qualified for the Olympics.

Since the Arab Games in 2007 I have been training full time, here at the Emirates Sailing School in Abu Dhabi. His Highness Sheikh Sultan Ben Zaid Al Nehyan provided me with a job here, so I could concentrate on my sailing.

So after lots of training I spent seven months in Europe, travelling all over the place, all over countries like Italy, France and Austria, competing at all the different regattas, gaining as much experience as I could.

In order to qualify for the Olympics however, you either need to accumulate enough qualification points, or draw a wild card. This season I wasn't gathering ranking points, so I qualified thanks to the hard work of the UAE's representatives to ISAF lobbying hard to secure my place.

Describe the emotions you felt when you heard you were 'going to the Games'?

I was in Germany at a regatta when I got the phone call from my coach. I can't describe the happiness I felt... except it was like a party inside my blood. I still smile every time I think about going.

After hearing I immediately called all my friends together from the international sailing scene for a celebration. The next day I was on a plane to Qingdao.

And what did you find when you got there?

I was there for a ten day visit, checking out the Olympic Village and athletes' accommodation. To be honest the facilities there are incredible. There is everything an athlete can dream of; gyms, big hotels, restaurants and plenty of training facilities. The people there are really friendly too - they are looking forward to hosting the Olympic Games.

A lot has been said about the wind and tide conditions there?

This is true, the winds there are very light and the tide can make a big difference, but this suits me very well after all the training I do here in Abu Dhabi. I am very light, so I like the light winds.

I am more of a tactical sailor than one who relies only on strength and boat speed. I think the biggest problem may be the algae and weed problem. At the moment they have soldiers from the army clearing it all off the beach, I hope it is all gone by the time the games start; nobody wants that wrapped around their rudder!

So tell us about you training regime.

It's been quite hard, but then fun as well as I am doing what I enjoy most in the world. Every morning I wake up and start training at 4am. First I'll run for at least an hour before heading to the gym.

After that it's time to get on the water and use the light morning breeze to simulate the conditions I'm likely to encounter in Qingdao. I usually sail until 8:30am before starting work in the sailing school.

The training has ensured I stay light too - I have lost around 12kg whilst in training and my coach dictates my diet. There's no junk food, no pasta or rice, just salad, fruit and vegetables. It's working really well, I feel very fit.

How do you cope mentally with the pressure on the night before the start of an Olympic campaign?

Some people go crazy with nervousness, you can see it even in the European Championships. Solo sailing is not like a team sport where you can hide behind someone else - but you also control your own destiny, which suits me.

I am always feeling very calm inside and enjoying the experience of being there. I know I will always try my very best, so in a way the result always depends upon how others sail. In the build up my family and sponsors like Red Bull, Al Masaood and T5 Middle East have all been very supportive.

Life will change if you come home with a gold medal?

Phew! Everything changes! To win is my goal, not top five; not top three; the top step is the only place to aim for. Of course my life will change, and I also do it for my family and my country.

But hopefully winning would be a huge encouragement to younger people to take up sailing in the UAE and follow me into the Olympics. For me this is the most important.

Sailing is in our heritage in the UAE, I have competed in the dhow racing, but we need more children making modern sailing their primary sport. Already there is a great following; around 2,000 new children will try sailing in our schools this summer.

This is great, but a gold medal will encourage a lot more. The Sheikhs are generously investing in facilities, so hopefully for Weymouth in 2012, we will have a team of sailors going to aim for gold - not just one.

So who has made this dream come true for you?

I'd like to say a great thanks to His Highness Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zaid Al Nehyan, United Arab Emirates President, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for their great support and encouragement for all the athletes in the UAE.

Also thanks to His Highness Sheikh Sultan Ben Zaid Al Nehyan, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Emirates Heritage Club for providing me with the chance to work in the Heritage Club's Emirates Sailing School; also for his great efforts to support athletics and outside championship participation.

Thanks also go to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zaid Al Nehyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for setting high standards and support to all sports and participants in the UAE.

A great thanks to His Highness Sheikh Khalid Ben Zaid Ben Sultan Al Nehyan for his munificient initiative to contibute generously to the expenses of my preparation programme and for generously committing to next season's participation programme expenses.

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