Meet the three young sailors from Chennai who will represent India at the Olympics

Nethra Kumanan, Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy talk about their rigorous training schedule, living the dream, and why Chennai is a great place for sailing

The sea at Chennai Port must be proud. Three of the kids who learnt sailing in her waters, will now debut at the Olympics in Japan. Of the four Indians who have qualified for sailing at the upcoming event in July, three — Nethra Kumanan, Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy — are from Chennai. The fourth is Vishnu Saravanan from Mumbai. “In Chennai, the sea offers variety and good sailing conditions almost through the year, which makes it one of the best sailing venues in the world,” says Nethra Kumanan, 23, the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics. “Being the first woman wasn’t the goal or focus but it happened and I’m extremely honoured to have been able to achieve that for my family who’ve given up so much for me to be able to do what I do everyday,” she adds, speaking from Hungary where she is training at Lake Balaton. Young sailors from Chennai have the advantage of being trained at clubs like Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC) and Tamil Nadu Sailing Association (TNSA), which organise summer camps for children and adults every year.