Kuwait City, Kuwait, May 17, 2022: Like father, like son. Saoud Al-Shamroukh has huge shoes to fill as he follows in his dad Thamer Al-Shamroukh’s footsteps. But on the opening night of swimming at the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Games, the 18-year-old Saoud took a giant step in that direction.
The Kuwaiti teenager shrugged off heartbreak in the men’s 200m freestyle final to bounce back in style by winning gold later in the night in the men’s 1500m freestyle and prove he has the courage and heart to go where his father went – the biggest stage of all, the Olympic Games.
The elder Al-Shamroukh represented Kuwait at the 1986 Atlanta Olympics in the 200m freestyle race. Although he did not make any waves, it was still a proud moment for the tiny country to have a swimmer compete at the greatest show on earth.
Now more than three decades later the younger Al-Shamroukh is attempting to make his own way and Tuesday night at the Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Aquatics Complex, Saoud overcame a stinging disappointment to win a gold medal.
Saoud was beaten by an arm’s length in the final of the 200m free and had to settle for the silver medal. Having led all the way, the hometown favourite was edged at the end by Yousuf Al-Matrooshi of the United Arab Emirates who won in one minute 52.95 seconds. Sauod finished in 1:53.65. Issa Al Adawi of Oman took the bronze in 1:54.79.
One of the first to console Saoud was dad Thamer as he rushed poolside to hug his son and offer him words of encouragement.
“These things happen, he swam a good race and what matters most is that it was a personal best for Saoud. I’m very pleased with his performance,” said Thamer, who is also the Secretary General of the Kuwait Swimming Federation.
Thamer was overjoyed 45 minutes later when he watched his son win the strenuous 1,500m event, bringing home the gold in 16:43.20. Qatar’s Kareem Salah won the silver in 17:13.60 and Ahmed Al-Hashim of Saudi Arabia took the bronze in 17:30.98.
In November, Saoud will turn 19. The same age his dad was when he swam at the Atlanta Olympics.