A phone call may never be the best way to figure out an athlete’s state of mind but Vishnu Saravanan’s calm and assured responses suggest that he was looking back at his work over the past few days with happiness and some satisfaction. India’s premier Laser Class sailor had ample reason to be joyous as he had finished 25th in the ILCA7 World Championships.
So, what is it that has made him leapfrog from 84th in the last World Championships in Sakaiminato City, Japan, to 25th this time in Barcelona, Spain? Enormous determination to sustain the progress in the past year or so. Long hours of hard work under the watch of coach Alexandr Denisiuc in Slovenia after the Olympic Games.
Before we take that question up in greater detail, let us address another: Is it such a big deal that an athlete has finished 25th in a World Championships? If we reflect on the sport’s history from an Indian perspective, we will appreciate the fact that he is the first Indian to make it to the gold fleet in an Olympic class boat.
We will recognise the significance of the achievement when we become aware that as many as 135 sailors from 49 countries competed in Barcelona. More importantly, unlike in the Olympic Games which restrict the number of entries from any nation to one in each class, there are no such limits in a World Championships.
“The conditions in Barcelona were tough – big waves and strong winds, thanks to the Mistral from Italy. It was a great experience and I believe I have gained confidence sailing with the top guns,” he said. “I wanted to be in the top one-third of the table and I am glad I finished higher. As my luck would have it, a race in which I was lying third had to be abandoned.”
With no racing on the first day, Vishnu Saravanan opened his campaign finishing 15th and 10th on second day of racing. It was on the third day when the winds were light and shifty that the race committee rejigged the course and ensured several starts were made. But as luck would have it, none of the races was complete that day.
A poor 46th place in the third race, held at the start of the fourth day, pegged him back but he did well to record two decent finishes – 26 and 15 to earn himself a place in the Gold Fleet, reserved for the top 50 per cent of sailors. He was 34th after the five qualifying races and in the final series, he secured a 11th, 33rd and 29th finishes to rise to 25th with one day left.
Vishnu Saravanan takes pride in the mental strength he showed. “No racing because of bad weather does challenge all sailors and, in fact, leaves everyone exhausted and drained because of the waiting. It is never easy to switch on and off at short notice. I am glad with how I responded to that situation with meditation and training through the six days,” he said.
Indeed, the biggest change in the last two years has to do with his mindset. “Till the Olympic Games, I saw many sailors as idols. Tokyo2020 made me realise that they were competitors. The Olympic Games where I finished 20th was a big boost. I learnt many things there and gave me the confidence that I was making the right decisions on the race course,” he said.
“I was then able to raise my own expectations and motivation levels that I could sail with the top athletes and beat them. Both in the Olympics and here, I saw the others as opponents who had to be beaten. It is simple. If you set out to be the world’s best, it is bound to happen,” Vishnu Saravanan said. “One of the qualities that I pride myself is that I never give up.”
That was the trait that has seen him rise from 113 in the world rankings in March 2020 to No. 28 at the end of September 2021, primarily on the back of a good showing in the Olympic Games regatta in the Enoshima Yacht Harbour. The 22-year-old Vishnu Saravanan takes on the pressure that comes with being a path-breaker with trademark simplicity.
“Such pressure is a privilege and I enjoy that. Its absence would reduce me to a couch potato. Of course, I do not respond to external pressure – all that happens on the land – and I am able to focus on my sailing each time I touch water,” he said. “I train my thoughts on what I need to do in the boat and not on the consequences.”
This quality stood him in good stead when he realised that he did not have as much preparation in Barcelona as some of his rivals. “I am grateful the Sports Authority of India and the Army Yachting Node have been very supportive. I am sure my performances in Tokyo and in the Worlds will help secure more focus on my sport in the run up to the Asian Games,” he said.
The good thing about him is that he is very clear about his goals and how he aims to achieve them. “I want to win gold in the Asian Games next year and wanted to be the dominant Asian sailor here. It wanted to make Asia’s leaders sit up and take note of my skills. It would be nice to take the lead in the mental battle and crack it, too,” he said.
Of course, the 2018 Asian Games gold and silver medallists Ha Jee-Min (Korea) and Khairulnizam Afendy (Malaysia) as well as China’s Chen He who was 15th in Tokyo2020 were not in Barcelona. But the bronze medallist Ryan Ho (Singapore) and Kazumasa Segawa (Japan), who was fourth in Jakarta, were around and the Indian topped them comfortably.
And somewhere in his mind, he allowed himself a smile – one of happiness and some satisfaction.
Photo: Courtesy Vishnu Saravanan Instagram page
