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That lead became unassailable by mid-afternoon as a lack of wind meant racing could not get under way, and KHALID was assured of the Laser 4.7 crown.

'It was a great performance from KHALID who has proved again that he is a very talented and capable competitor,' said Saeed HAREB, the managing director of Dubai International Marine Club, which created a national team by launching its youth sailing programme six years ago.

Taking part in his first international regatta, Khalid MOHAMMED (UAE) climbed to fifth place with some encouraging results. The third member of the UAE team, Yousef KHALID (UAE), brother of Adel, encountered some tough competition in the Laser Radial fleet, but showed his determination by fighting back from one bad start to pull off a race victory and move into sixth place overall.

UAE team leader Issa ABDULLAH (UAE) said: 'The boys have been a credit to the UAE, and they can only get better. We will now aim to build on the success in Doha and on the fine performances we saw in the recent Dubai Junior Regatta.'

Team coach Yousef BIN LAHEJ, a product of the UAE youth sailing programme was also very satisfied: 'The two boys in the Laser 4.7 category had different targets. Because of Adel's experience he had set himself the goal of winning the competition for the third year in a row, while Khalid was aiming to improve his performance over the course of the event. They both succeeded.'

Yousef KHALID himself was pleased with his performance: 'I have been working pretty hard on my overall speed and it seems to have paid off. I still make some tactical mistakes but am quite happy that I am able to recover and produce some good finishes.'