New UAE swimming national team coach, Eetu Karvonen, admits that Olympic qualification is a “long shot” for the Emirati swimmers competing at the ongoing Arab Championships in Dubai, but said “everything is possible”.
Karvonen, a multiple-time Finland national champion swimmer, took the reins of the team three months ago and is still adapting to the swim culture in the Emirates.
The 29-year-old was an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University in the United States, where he got a taste of Arab swimming through Egypt’s El Kamash brothers, who attended his programme.
“I started looking for something else to do and I’ve always thought about Arab swimming, or basically places where the swimming culture is not as accepted as in other places like in the USA. So, I generally sent out my resume. It was kind of the right time, they needed a coach and I accepted,” Karvonen said at the Hamdan Sports Complex (HSC).
“I’m adapting to the swimming culture here which is very different from anywhere else in the world.”
Asked what was the trickiest thing he’s had to adapt to so far, he added: “Probably schedules. I am originally from Finland, where it is very authority-led. So, if somebody says something, that’s how it is. Also in the US universities, because they’re paying for swimmers to be there, everything is rule-based.
“But here, you have to be a little more open. The swimmers, they will train, but you can’t be too strict about that stuff.”
The Arab Championships, which serves as a qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Olympics, kicked off on Monday at the HSC with a few Emiratis in the mix.
Khaled Al Dabbous, who is currently attending Tampa University in the US, placed fourth in the 50m freestyle final, with his timing of 23.37 falling short of the 23.05 B-standard time required for the Olympics.
“It’s a long shot,” Karvonen concedes when asked about Olympic qualification.
“But everything is possible, as long as they don’t get too nervous about it.
“But as a general for the team, our goal is to keep getting better. If we can break as many personal bests as possible then I would assume then we’d be higher than last time (in the competition).”
Coach Eetu with UAE swimmers Al Besher and Al Dhaheri
UAE’s Yaaqoub Al Saadi was sixth in the 200m backstroke, clocking 2:14.03, over eight seconds behind gold medallist Ahmed Wahby of Egypt.
Egyptian star and former world junior champion, Farida Osman, opened her account with gold in the 50m freestyle, with a 25.60 swim.
