“We want to land on the moon and aim for the stars,” 25-year-old Arvind Subramanian.
Arvind, who is the youngest of the four-member Indian team taking part in the J80 world sailing championships in Rhode Island, USA (Oct. 2 to 9), is hopeful of qualifying for the gold fleet, which no Indian team has done before. “We are eager to make a mark (reach the top 10),” Arvind said.
Abhimanyu Panwar, the skipper of the team, and an experienced hand, echoes the view. “We want to crack the gold fleet and enter the top 5 if possible,” he told The Hindu over a zoom call recently.
The squad had been training diligently for more than a month at the Royal Madras Yacht Club in Chennai and is prepared for all kinds of emergencies.
Sweta Shervegar, the 2018 Asian Games silver medallist (with Varsha Gautham) and one who has sailed with Abhimanyu in the Asian championships, said: “We have prepared and trained extensively for the worst case scenario when there is heavy breeze or choppy waters, or any other emergency.”
Abhimanyu expects the results to be “way better” than what the previous team could do: finish in the top 60 in the 2019 J80 Worlds. “We have learnt from our previous experience of having taken part in the J80 Worlds. Then, we didn’t know how to race, how to tune the boats. We have gradually improved and the team around me is much better,” said Abhimanyu.
Arvind said sailing as a sport needs sponsorship for it to grow, and J80 will definitely give the sport the accessibility it seeks. “J80 is more relatable for non-sailors. It will help in bringing awareness to sailing. Even a commoner can sail and feel comfortable,” he said.
