Indian junior sailors win seven medals in Oman Open Championship

Shashank Bhatam and Somya Singh from MP grabbed a silver each and Akshat Dohare and Shagun Jha a bronze each in the boys and girls Junior championships, respectively.

The Indian sailors who won the medals in the Oman Open championship, with coach Suheim Sheikh. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The junior India sailing team, comprising 12 sailors, put up a fine show, winning seven medals in the Oman Open championship.

“The exposure trip was part of the collaboration of the Sports Authority of India and the Yachting Association of India,” Suheim informed.

“It was a very creditable performance considering that top Asian countries, including Thailand, UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and most Middle Eastern nations competed in what turned out to be light to medium winds and highly competitive racing,” he said.

“With Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra leading the sailors at the Olympics, India is well on its way to being a sailing super power in Asia,” Suheim said.

“The Indian Juniors are now preparing hard for the Asians, to be held in Hong Kong, and the Worlds in Argentina. Being age-restricted, this is their last chance to participate at internationals while representing India as juniors,” he said.

Shreya Krishna of Tamil Nadu and Lahiri Komaravelly of Hyderabad won the gold and silver in the under 15 sub-junior event, setting the tone for their seniors, mostly hailing from Madhya Pradesh (MP).

Shashank Bhatam and Somya Singh from MP grabbed a silver each and Akshat Dohare and Shagun Jha a bronze each in the boys and girls Junior championships, respectively.

Manya Reddy of Telangana scored a silver in the women’s class, punching above her weight in the senior class.