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Frankly, I liked Bahrain’s new swimming sensation Omar Yousif Jassim the minute I saw him. I was easily affected by his enthusiasm, disarming honesty, awe-struck by his youthful charm and boundless energy.
The 17-year-old had just returned from Kuwait with a treasure chest of two golds, one silver and two bronze medals – some sort of a record for Bahrain.
“It was a very satisfying experience. It was my best effort,” said Omar. “But I still have a long, long way to go.”
Quite tall for his age and as slim as a pencil this lithesome youngster looks like a natural athlete. A bright ear-to-ear smile and dark curly hair makes this 12th standard student of Isa Town High School a prospective future candidate for the role of a brand ambassador for any top label. And the brand can be anything ranging from hair gel to after shave and Levis jeans to Crocodile undergarments.
But Omar is endearingly unconcerned of his looks. All that on his mind right now is winning. “I am pretty good regionally. I hold all the records in my age group, at least in my best event the breaststroke. My aim now is to go out and win medals and better my timings,” Omar added.
Swimming comes naturally to Omar. His mother Faiya is a very good coach, and his three brothers are champion swimmers too. The Jassims can very well be considered the First Family of swimming in Bahrain.
Omar’s eldest brother Hamad, 30, who presently works as an Air Traffic Controller at the Bahrain International Airport, still holds the Bahrain record for 100m back stroke. His other brother Dawood, 21, is a multiple champion in his own right and Safian is equally talented. Omar’s father is a retired Bahrain Defence Force Officer and the source of inspiration for the family.
For the record: Omar won golds in 50m and 100m breaststroke, silver in 50m freestyle and bronze in 50m and 200m breaststroke at the GCC Swimming Championship in Kuwait. The two bronze medals are significant as Omar won them in the open category while the others were claimed in his age group section.
“I like to swim in the open section because it is much more challenging competing with older and more reputed swimmers. It is not only a physical duel but also a psychological battle. It toughens my mental strength,” said Omar who started swimming as a one-year-old under his mother’s guidance.
“My mum was my first coach. She thought me the basics. It was easy because I had to just follow my brothers into the pool. There was fair competition in the family and all that helped to instill competitive spirit in all of us.”
Omar started competing as a six-year-old and made his national debut at the 1996 GCC Swimming Championships in Muscat. Since then he is a regular in Bahrain’s national team.
The string of records Omar holds are enviable: 50m breaststroke (31.18 secs); 100m breaststroke (1 min 0.8 secs); 200m breaststroke (2 min, 37 seconds) and 50m freestyle (24.92 secs) in the 15-17 age group.
Omar holds four more records in the Open section: 50m freestyle (24.94 secs), 50m breaststroke (31.11 secs); 100m breaststroke (1min, 08 secs) and 200m breaststroke (2 min, 37 secs).
“I like breaststroke the most. It is easy compared to butterfly and less tiring compared to backstroke. And I don’t like free style because it is pretty boring,” the youngster said without blinking an eye. “I can go on and on swimming breaststroke, up to 8ks in a session.”
I like his honesty, frankness, and admire his single-minded pursuit.
“I think I like individual sport. Maybe that is why I took up swimming,” Omar added. “I am in some way odd. I don’t like soccer. I feel too much fuss is made about kicking a ball around. Everything comes to a standstill every time the national team is playing. I find it funny.”
The next stop for Omar is the Melbourne World Champions later this month where he will again be a ‘white card’ swimmer taking part in the qualifying rounds.
“It will be another learning experience and I hope to make the most of it.”
Omar’s immediate challenges are the forthcoming Arab Swimming Championship
and the GCC long-course Championship.
“My friends, coaches, family have great confidence in me. They have sacrificed so much for me and the only way I can make them happy is by keep on winning,” Omar added as a parting shot.
The winning habit Vijay Mruthyunjaya
