Over the millennia, Omanis showed their pioneering spirit as navigators. Today, as in most parts of the world, youth prefers watching TV or exploring the virtual worlds of the Internet and smartphones. But there are several personalities in the country who, with their achievements and international successes, show that the world can still be conquered in real life today.
Sultan Al Tooqi
won the silver medal in show jumping at the age of 17 with the mixed team from Australia / Asia in the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore. It was the first and so far only Omani medal in the Olympic Games.
Ali Al Habsi
Ali Al Habsi has made it to the top as an Omani footballer. For many years, the best goalkeeper in the Gulf, he played for 10 years at various clubs in England in the Premier League. Wigan Athletic voted him Player of the Year in season 2010/2011.
In 2017 he moved to Saudi club Al Hilal in Riyadh.
Ahmad al Harthy
Ahmad al Harthy was the first Arab in 2009 to finish second in the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship in Hampshire, England. Al Harthy's success raises hopes for Oman's young motorsport fans - because even Formula One greats like Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen began their careers here.
In 2011, Al Harthy made headlines in Oman when he took on jaunts in his hometown of Muscat, with passengers in a Porsche 911 GT3 race car, courtesy of the Royal Oman Police and the Oman Automobile Association.
He has been able to continue his career in recent years. In 2012 he won the Porsche Carrera Cup GB - Pro / Am 1 and in 2017 the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Pro / Am
Fatma Al Nabhani is an internationally successful Omani tennis player. Al-Nabhani achieved her best world ranking positions in singles with rank 362 in October 2010, in doubles with rank 238 in April 2014.
"Mentally, it's about being a strong personality. I made it clear to people here that a woman can be an athlete, that a woman can participate in international competitions. The goals are getting higher, but you have to tackle them. "
After suffering obvious, racist and anti-Islamic discrimination by the referee, the professional player, 2018, understandably left the ITF France 21A tournament. We are stunned that this has been allowed and hope that all the necessary consequences have been taken to prevent racism and discrimination.
Nabil Al Busaidi
was the first Arab to reach the magnetic North Pole, on April 29, 2009, after a march on foot of 650 kilometers. "I want people in Oman to be proud of what I've achieved, so today I'm not calling myself Nabil but "Shabab (the youth of) Oman." Since then he has climbed Mount Vinson in Antarctica,and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. As first Arab to accomplish some of these feats, he was voted one of the Top 100 Most Influential Arabs in the world by Arabian Business magazine in 2009, the Top 50 Influential Arabs by Middle East magazine in 2009 and 2011.
Sami al Shukaili and Fahad al Hasni
are members of the internationally successful extreme sailing team of Oman: the Omani catamarans "The Wave Muscat" and "Oman Sail Masirah" occupy the top places since 2010 in races of the "Extreme Sailing Series" and in May 2015 set a new world record in the circumnavigation from Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Hiba Al Rahbi
,a soldier in the Royal Cavalry, is currently Oman's top rider. She is the only one of 12 siblings who has learned how to ride a horse and she has mastered almost all disciplines: trick, dressage, race and polo. She is always one of the best at international competitions in dressage. "In the past, people did not always take women seriously and laughed at the idea of girls riding. But now everyone can see what a strong women's team we have. We can do everything that male riders do."
Jokha Al Harthi is an omani writer. She did her PHD in classical arabic literature at the University of Edinburgh (Scottland).
In addition to her literary work, the 41-year-old works at the Sultan Qaboos University as an associate professor. She has already published several short stories and novellas. Already in 2016 she received the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature for her novella "Narinjah" (Bitter Orange) In 2019 she was the first author from the Middle East to receive the prestigious "Man Booker International Prize 2019" - for the novel "Sayyidat Al Qamar "(in English" Celestial Bodies "). She had already written the novel in 2011, in the same year it was in the shortlist for the Zayed Award. In 2018, the novel was finally published in English (translation by Marliyn Booth) and is now receiving international attention in Europe.