Al Wasl Sports Club topped the standings with an overall 38 medals, including 13 gold, at the 4th Emirates Cup at Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai.
The standout swimmer at the competition was Yousif Al Hosani, who triumphed in the 14-15 age category in the 100m individual medley, 50m butterfly, 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle events.
The Dubai club took home 13 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze medals in total to top the standings, ahead of Al Ain (27 medals – nine gold, seven silver and 11 bronze), who finished second.
Dubai Dolphins Swimming Team finished third with 16 medals (seven gold, three silver and six bronze), ahead of Sports Life Swimming Club (SLSC), who despite winning 23 medals overall (six gold, seven silver and 10 bronze), were classified fourth after finishing with one gold less than Dubai Dolphins.
Over 400 swimmers aged between nine and 26 years from across nine clubs took part in the competition.
Among the top swimmers were Velimir Stjepanovic, 200m finalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games, who picked up gold in the 50m freestyle in the 18-and-over category.
Despite finishing fourth, SLSC manager Gerrie van Beek was satisfied with the performance of his swimmers, and said: “Our team performed very well in the face of some tough competition.
“Our club is fairly new compared to the other clubs in the UAE as we have been open for only two years.
“But we are pleased to get fourth position because our swimmers are still quite young and don’t have much experience yet.”
Among the medallists for SLSC were Gwen van Beek, 19, Judy Mohtadi and Arika D’Souza, both 16 years, who won medals in the 16-and-over 50m freestyle and 100m individual medleys.
Van Beek said the competition has been a learning experience for the team.
“The children gave it their best. We entered the competition to give them experience which will help them become better swimmers in the future.
“We always encourage them to take part in competitions because they will learn a lot.
“They will learn more by competing in such competitions and not just by practicing. The head coach, Konstantin Bushmelev, wants them to reach a high standard. And the swimmers all believe they can do better."
