Nethra Kumanan, who hails from Chennai, won a historic bronze medal in the Sailing World Cup held in Miami, Unites States of America. Nethra became the first Indian woman sailor to win any medal in this prestigious competition. The Indian finished third in the second round of the Hempel World Series in Miami, on 25 January. The gold of this competition went to Erika Reineke of the US while the silver was bagged by Asilieia Karachaliou of Greece.
After such a historic performance Nethra Kumanan told the Times of India, “After winning the medal race on the final day, I didn’t realize my performance had helped me win bronze until a fellow sailor had informed me. It was one of the most memorable wins for me. “
Nethra spends most of her time practicing in Canary Islands, Spain. Talking about preparing in Spain the Indian rower said, “The practice in the Canary Islands helped improve my skill. Practicing with top sailors like Vasileia Karachaliou and Ibru Bolat here brought out the best in me. ”
Prior to this, Nethra has also represented the Indian team in the Asian Games played in the year 2014 and 2018. She had finished fourth in the Asian Games held in Jakarta. On her performance in the Asian Games, the Indian sailor said that during the Asian Games she was under tremendous pressure to get a spot for the Olympics. She said that the pressure was self-inflicted, and so she failed in Jakarta. Nethra further added that she is more confident this year and is trying to be more consistent with training and always aims to work towards the big goal of the Olympics.
Nethra now will set her eyes towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She will have a chance to qualify for the quadrennial event if she finishes in the top-two at the Asian Sailing Championships. The Asian Sailing Championships are scheduled to be held at Abu Dhabi from March 15, 2020.
