Indian Sailors Struggle for Olympic Qualification in Paris Dinghy Competitions

Indian sailors Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan faced tough competition in their dinghy races at the Paris Olympics, ending outside qualification zones on Friday. Vishnu stands 19th after four races while Nethra is 27th after three. Both aim for top 10 finishes to qualify for the medal race.

Indian sailors Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan ended their day second of the sailing campaign at the Paris Olympics outside the qualification zones at the end of their respective races in the dinghy competition on Friday. Vishnu, an Asian Games medalist, finished the day 19th in the standings after four races, each accumulating race points matching his position.

In race 1, competing against 43 sailors, Vishnu clinched the 10th spot but experienced a downturn, dropping to 34th by the end of race 2. Despite this, boats finishing between 1st and 10th at race 10 will advance to the medal race, keeping hopes alive.

Meanwhile, in the women's dinghy competition, Nethra Kumanan ended her day 27th with 27 race points after three races. Her day began promisingly at 6th position in her initial race but deteriorated to 15th and further to 27th. Both sailors need strong comebacks to be among the top 10 by race 10 to make it to the medal race.

Saravanan earned India's first sailing quota for the 2024 Olympics at the ILCA 7 Men's World Championship in Australia. He also secured a bronze in the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022. Kumanan secured her quota at the Last Chance Regatta in France by finishing fifth overall, becoming the top performer from the Emerging Nations Program.