UAE’s ‘golden swimmer’ sets sights on yet another medal
The UAE’s “golden swimmer” let victory slip through his fingers at the previous Special Olympics and is determined that history will not repeat itself in home waters.
Abdullah Al Tajer, 26, has amassed a glittering collection of gold medals during his career, yet it is the one that got away that is spurring him on to more glory.
The Emirati lost out in the 50-metre breaststroke event at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles in 2015 when he touched the wall of the pool with one hand and raised the other in celebration.
Competition rules set by
Fina, the international swimming governing body, state that in breaststroke a swimmer must touch the wall with both hands to complete the race.
This time, Mr Al Tajer is determined not to repeat the mistake.
His dream is for a golden double at home by defending his 50-metre freestyle title and winning the 50-metre breaststroke with the correct technique.
He does not only want to win for himself, he said – he wants to top the podium for the President, Sheikh Khalifa.
“I love Sheikh Khalifa. If I get gold, I make people happy, I make Sheikh Khalifa happy.
“I want to get first for my country,” Al Tajer said during a break in training with other athletes at Sharjah’s Al Thiqah Club.
Coach Jamal Nasser said the team had been hard at work on the two-hand-touch requirement.
“Abdullah lost the gold in the US because of a technical mistake. He should have touched with two hands but he touched with one because he was excited,” he said.
Al Tajer is one of about 300 UAE athletes with learning and cognitive disabilities who will compete next week in the first Special Olympics World Games in the Middle East and North Africa.
The athletes are classified based on ability and skill.
Al Tajer earned his “golden” nickname when he started winning big championships at a young age.
He won his first gold for the country when he was 12, in a regional competition in Tunisia in 2004.
Then he picked up two gold medals at the Shanghai Special Olympics Games in 2007, the first time the UAE won swimming gold medals at the global event.
Since then, Al Tajer has won more than a dozen gold medals in international swimming events.
“Abdullah has a lot of experience. He is the leader of our team,” Nasser said. “In Shanghai he was very young. Now, there are younger swimmers in the team, but he is still one of the best,” said Nasser, who has been working with the UAE Special Olympics team for more than 15 years.
Watching Al Tajer hit the pool every day motivates other UAE squad members to train.
The swimmers also work out in the gym to build strength and stamina and are keen to be No 1, but Nasser said the podium was not the primary focus.
“The challenge is to make them happy, to give them a good feeling. Our second target is medals,” he said.
After Al Tajer joined the squad, he changed from being a loner to someone who can easily talk to people he does not know.
“Abdullah now likes to share what he is doing. He does not want to be alone like before,” Nasser said.
Others in the UAE squad have benefited from the regular exercise routine.
Swimming has calmed the aggressive behaviour of a child with autism and the discipline of the sport did the same for another team member who is hyperactive.
Showing off the swimmers’ achievements can inspire other parents of children with disabilities. Nasser believes watching the athletes perform during the Games will send a strong message to parents who keep their children at home because they cannot cope with the stigma and embarrassment still associated with disability in the region.
“My message is to bring the kids to us. Don’t keep them at home. Take them out. They should feel freedom,” said Nasser, who shares a special rapport with Al Tajer.
He makes sure the swimmer put on a fresh T-shirt after a swim and smooths his hair before he reels off the numerous medals his charge has won and lists Al Tajer’s other interests.
The swimming champion also likes to play the guitar, and rapper 50 Cent is his favourite musical performer.
Nasser beams as he watches Al Tajer explain how he will teach the correct stroke to friends he is trying to convince to learn swimming.
Reaching out to people with disabilities is simple, Nasser said.
“Just find the language. It’s very easy. It is just one step – just say, ‘hello’.”
Al Tajer earned his ‘golden’ nickname by winning big championships at a young age