Picture Credit: Twitter
Nethra Kumanan topped the Indian contingent at the recent Paris 2024 Olympics Sailing Test Event which was held at the Roucas Blanc Marina in Marseille from July 9 to July 16. The first Indian woman to directly qualify for an Olympic sailing event in Tokyo, Nethra Kumanan, finished 22nd out of 38 competitors in the women's race in Marseille. She finished with 170 net points, making her the highest-ranked Indian in the competition.
Sports competitions known as "test events" are staged for sailing preparation ahead of the Olympic Games to serve as warm up. Test events let organisers assess the preparation and fine-tune logistical and other factors for the forthcoming Summer Games in addition to providing competitors with much-needed competitive practise.
Nethra Kumanan, who was born on August 21, 1997, learned to sail in 2009 at a summer camp run by the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association. At the time, she was only 12-years old. She earlier enjoyed playing basketball, tennis, and cycling. But Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance, which she had to give up for sailing, was where she learned the most.
Nethra competed for India in both the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where she placed fifth and seventh, respectively. She finished 15th overall out of 44 competitors in the third race in the Women's Laser Radial event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and aims to better her performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Here is all you need to know about Nethra Kumanan:
Ag e: 25 years
Date of birth: August 21, 1997
Hails from: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Boat type: ILCA 6
Coach: Tamas Eszes
Education: Patasala Montessori School upto 6th standard and thereafter studied at The School, KFI (Krishnamurti Foundation of India) till the 10th standard. Currently pursuing Mechanical Engineering at SRM Institute of Science and Technology of SRM University in Chennai.
