14-year-old becomes youngest Emirati to climb Mt Kilimanjaro
Grade 9 Dubai student’s brothers had previously held the record in turn
Seif Saleh Al Shunnar recently beat his brother Ali’s record as the youngest Emirati to climb Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, at only 14 years of age. Standing at 5,895 metres above sea level, Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest free-standing mountain.
Seif’s two older brothers had respectively held the title in turn, with Moawiyah Saleh Al Shunnar at 15 years and a half and Ali Saleh Al Shunnar at 15 years and one month.
The Grade 9 student at Jumeirah Baccalaureate School (JBS) in Dubai has always taken an interest in a variety of sports and highendurance activities such as tennis, football, basketball, horse riding, and Tang Soo Do (a Korean martial art), in which he earned a black belt at the age of 12.
“2018 is the Year of Zayed, and I wanted to complete the challenge this year. Our leaders in the UAE always encourage us to push boundaries and to be the best. It is our duty to always do great things for them and for our country,” Seif said.
He had also learnt about the Little Wings Foundation’ (supported by the Al Jalila Foundation), which is run by a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon who had treated him.
He thought that he could also use this trip to highlight the cause of this foundation, which works with children in war-torn countries.
Seif, accompanied by his father, hiked several thousand metres each day, camping in tents for six nights. They reached the summit, Uhuru Peak, on June 27. Holding the UAE flag at the highest point in Africa filled him with pride and joy, Seif said. “This was certainly a life-changing experience,” he added.