Emirati swimmer Hussein Shawqi won the gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 24.73, setting the best result in the history of the Asian Youth Games. He outperformed Hong Kong swimmer Lao Zin James by 0.24 seconds, who took the silver medal with a time of 24.97 seconds, while Wu Gao-xi of Chinese Taipei won the bronze medal and third place with a time of 25.05 seconds.
In an exceptional feat in less than 24 hours, Hussein Shawki competed in three finals at the swimming events of the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, continuing his brilliant performance. After qualifying for the 50-meter butterfly final with a time of 25.16 seconds, 0.42 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, he won the bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle yesterday, Monday.
With this medal, the UAE's total reached 19 medals: 8 gold, 6 silver, and 5 bronze, placing the country in 6th place and confirming its leadership among Arab nations. China continues to top the overall standings with 98 medals, followed by Uzbekistan with 40 and Thailand with 33.
Gold medalist Hussein Shawqi stated that achievements come from perseverance and seriousness in training, as well as benefiting from every participation and gathering. This is exactly what the coaching staff of the national swimming team, led by national coach Marwan Al-Hattawi, worked on, which resulted in this great success that will not be the last for the UAE. He added, "All thanks to the Ministry of Sports, the UAE National Olympic Committee, and the UAE Water Sports Federation. These efforts culminated in this success, and the future will be better in the upcoming sporting arenas."
Meanwhile, Marwan Al-Hattawi, head coach of the UAE national swimming team, expressed his happiness with Hussein Shawqi's gold medal achievement and the advanced level he achieved during all events at the Games. He noted that the preparation for participation in the Asian Youth Games was well executed in the previous phase, and since the selection of participants on June 20 of this year from the age group eligible to participate according to the age categories set for the Games.
