Vishnu Saravanan finished a plucky 25th in the Laser Standard class and Nethra Kumanan 43rd in the Laser Radial class after eight preliminary races in the Hempel World Cup Series – Allianz Regatta in Medemblik, Netherlands this week. Like most the fleet in the Regatta, the Indian sailors are also preparing for the Olympic Games to be held in the Enoshima Yacht Harbor in Japan next month.
The quality of competition was predictably high as sailors from around the world celebrated the first World Cup event since January 2020 and the final regatta before the Tokyo Olympic Games. By all accounts, the excitement was palpable as the leading sailors set out to demonstrate their eagerness and readiness.
In the Laser Standard regatta, the first two days were split into yellow and blue fleets and depending on the points accrued in the four races, the sailors races in Gold and Silver fleets.
World No. 62 Vishnu Saravanan secured top 15 finishes in five of the eight races but the other three races – 18th, 29th and 19th – dragged him down the charts. Yet, he would be pleased that he finished in the top half of the 61-sailor competition in varying wind conditions. After two days of light and fickle breeze, the winds challenged the sailors on Friday and Saturday.
The manner in which he rallied on Saturday after Friday’s races where he ended up in the 29th and 19th places in the Silver fleet was some evidence of his resilience. With the wind speeds ranging between 9 and 12 knots per hour, he secured two top 15 finishes to rise from 30th overall to 25th in the final regatta before heading to Enoshima.
World No. 58 Nethra Kumanan, the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympic Games sailing competition, had one good race when she finished 11th on Thursday. Yet, three races in which she finished towards the tail end of her fleet stopped her from securing a place in the top half of the feet. She showed fighting skills to obtain top-40 berths in the last two races.
At the conclusion of the qualification series of eight races, Lorenzo Chiavarini (Britain) and Marie Barrue (France) looked set to win the Laser Standard and Laser Radial gold medals respectively. Only a disastrous showing in Sunday’s medal races will halt their march to the top of the podium.
A short interview with Nethra Kumanan, courtesy Allianz Regatta 2021
