Paris Olympics Sailing Update: Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan Struggle to Stay Afloat

Indian sailors Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan faced challenging conditions on day three of the ongoing Paris Olympics, finishing outside the qualification zones in their respective dinghy competitions. Both athletes showed resilience but struggled to secure top positions as the competition progressed.

Vishnu Saravanan’s Performance

In the men’s dinghy competition, Vishnu Saravanan concluded day three in 13th place at the end of race six, accumulating 13 race points. The Asian Games bronze medalist had a mixed performance over the previous races:

• Day One: Vishnu started strong, finishing 10th out of 43 competitors in race one with 10 race points. However, he slipped to the 34th spot in race two, earning 34 race points.
• Day Two: Vishnu finished in 19th place at the end of race four with 19 race points. By race five, he improved slightly to 21st place with 21 race points.
• Day Three: Vishnu’s consistent performance in race six placed him in 13th with 13 race points.

Despite his efforts, Vishnu remains outside the top 10, the critical cutoff for progressing to the medal race.

Nethra Kumanan’s Performance

In the women’s dinghy competition, Nethra Kumanan also faced tough competition, finishing in 20th place at the end of race six with 20 race points. Her journey through the races included:

• Day One: Nethra had a promising start, finishing 6th in race one with 6 race points. However, she dropped to the 15th spot by race two, accumulating 15 race points.
• Day Two: Nethra ended the day in 27th place at the end of race three with 27 race points and maintained this position through race four.
• Day Three: By the end of race five, she had improved to 28th place with 28 race points, finishing race six in 20th place.

Like Vishnu, Nethra is also outside the top 10, which is required to advance to the medal race.

Both sailors have secured significant milestones for Indian sailing:

• Vishnu Saravanan: Secured India’s first sailing quota for the 2024 Olympics in the men’s dinghy (ILCA 7) at the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship in Australia. He also won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
• Nethra Kumanan: Earned India’s second sailing quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women’s dinghy (ILCA 6) at the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres, France. Nethra achieved a fifth-place finish with 67 points on the overall leaderboard and secured her Olympic spot by being the top performer among sailors from the Emerging Nations Program (ENP).