A team of 26 from Telangana participated in the International Regatta at Chennai, which was held from December 15 to 20. The contingent has sailors from government schools in Telangana with some travelling out of the State for the first time. Some are students of the Government School at Shaikpet, under the tutelage of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institution Society’s Praveen Kumar, an IPS officer who works with deeply disenfranchised children in the State.
Eight girls, mostly from government schools and assisted by the the Yacht Club of Hyderabad in collaboration with the Naandi Foundation, also participated. The girls were from under-privileged backgrounds and have been trained over the last year with a lot of focus on improved nutrition and physical fitness.
First international event
The team, which is partly supported by the Telangana Youth Welfare and Tourism Ministry and is largely made up of beginners, headed out for their first International event at Chennai. "Despite the cyclone Vardah wreaking havoc in the city, the sailors, most of them sailing in the wide open sea for the first time, weathered the resulting deep swell and North-Easterly monsoon winds well," said Suheim Sheikh, the coach and President of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad (YCH). The YCH has a tradition of absorbing talent from the economically weaker sections of society and has already produced a sub-junior national champion from among them.
Results
The Telangana girls and boys performed creditably amid competition from 12 countries including Sweden, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Sachin Bethamalla from Shaikpet Model School, all of 11 years old, won two silver medals in the sub-Junior India International Green. Sachin’s father works at a small hotel in Secunderabad.
Rishab Nayar, 15, moved to a higher category of boat, the radial class, and triumphed with a silver in his maiden attempt, also winning his first international bronze in the same category. Heading back to Chicago, Rishab plans to sail international waters.
Juhi Desai won her first national bronze in the Junior Laser Class. Juhi was the only girl from Telangana to win a medal during the nationals and hopes to move up to gold next year.