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Nethra Kumanan becomes first Indian woman sailor to win World Cup medal

Nethra Kumanan becomes first Indian woman sailor to win World Cup medal
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By

Sarah Waris

Published: 28 Jan 2020 5:46 AM GMT

Chennai's Nethra Kumanan clinched a bronze medal in the Sailing World Cup to become the first woman from the country to achieve the feat. Participating in the Hempel World Series in Miami, Unites States of America, Nethra won bronze in round two of the tournament to create history.

Erika Reineke of the USA and Vasilieia Karachaliou of Greece claimed the gold and silver respectively in the laser radial event.

Nethra Kumanan
Nethra Kumanan also represented the country in the 2014 and the 2018 Asian Games (Image: Nethra Kumanan/Facebook)

The Indian, who trains at the Canary Islands in Spain, also represented the country in the 2014 and the 2018 Asian Games that was held at Jakarta. She had finished fourth in the same event in the last edition of the Asian Games, and attributed her calm temperament for her medal-winning performance this time around in the World Cup.

"At the Asian Games, I was under a lot of pressure to get a spot for the Olympics. A lot of it was self-inflicted and so I failed there. I think this year I am trying to be more consistent with training and always will work towards the big goal of the Olympics," Nethra told Times of India. She trained with psychologist Mon Brokman before the World Cup to ensure that she was in a mentally calm place before the event came calling.

"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," she continued.

The sailor now will shift her eyes towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She will have a chance to qualify for the multi-national event if she finishes in the top-two at the Asian Sailing Championships that will be held at Abu Dhabi from March 15, 2020.

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