Four from Dubai American Academy show promise for the future

Khaled Attieh has shone as a golfer.

DUBAI // A quartet of the pupils at Dubai American Academy have been earmarked for future sporting success by the school's athletics director.

The school, based in Al Barsha, fields six teams in nearly every sport they play and the coaching staff have played a significant role in the development of four of its pupils.

In athletics, Thijs Hooftman, a 15-year-old who runs the 1,500 and 3,000m, is making great strides.

"I think he could go a very long way if he decides to continue with track and field," Jodi O'Reilly, an Australian who is the athletics director at the school, said.

"He has done track and field really for one year and the times that he ended up running would make him very competitive at home [in Australia] as well, with the same age group."

There is plenty of talent on the school's swimming team, too. Anooque Berghuis, despite being just 14, competed at the Dutch championship last season and finished just outside the medals in the 200m butterfly.

Tom Campbell-James, 18, is also making waves in the sprint events.

"He [Berghuis] could go on and do a fair bit with his swimming," O'Reilly said. "We've had swimmers over the last few years that have all gone on to swim at different levels in college."

Khaled Attieh, the 16-year-old Saudi Arabian amateur golfer who took part in the Omega Desert Classic earlier this year, is also a pupil at the school.

"He's been winning tournaments around the Middle East," O'Reilly said. "He won the Saudi amateur last year I believe. Golf is one sport that we had never taken part in before this year."