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With 10 days left until the Tokyo Olympics 2020, India's sailing team comprisingVarun Thakkar, KC Ganapathy, Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan along with their coaches have reached the Japanese capital to embark upon their Olympic journey.
The COVID-19 outbreak had put a halt to all sporting activities in 2020, forcing all the players to take a back seat from their hardcore preparations for the Summer Games. Here are four sailors who made it to Tokyo despite the challenging circumstances:
Vishnu Saravanan (Men’s Laser)
Vishnu qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, after finishing second at the Mussanah Open Championship, in Oman. In 2017, Vishnu enrolled himself as Naib Subedar in the Indian Army. His first international break was in 2018, after he won his first national championship in 2018.
Just a year after he began his sailing journey, Vishnu shifted his training base to Malta and has been training there for the Olympics. Vishnu is one of four Indian sailors to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Nethra Kumanan (Women’s Laser Radial)
Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics at the 2021 Mussanah Open, held in Oman. She also went on to become the first ever from the country to earn a direct qualification. In her most recent performance, she clinched a bronze medal at the 2020 Sailing World Cup in Miami, USA.
KC Ganapathy (Men’s 49er)
KC Ganapathy, began his international career in 2010 at the Asian Sailing Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, alongside Varun Thakkar, and has been competing together ever since. Among his recent performances, he along with Varun, finished second at the 2019 49er Asian Championships. A top-podium finish at the 2021 Mussanah Open Championship fetched him a Tokyo Olympics berth.
Varun Thakkar (Men’s 49er)
After working hard for the last ten years, it's finally paying off for Varun. Thakkar's career breakthrough moment happened after he joined hands with compatriot KC Ganapathy to compete in the Men's 49er category. Even though he is not hoping for a fairy-tale at the Tokyo Olympics, a top-ten finish will definitely be the target for the Chennai duo.
