Tokyo Olympics: Despite a strong start sailor Nethra Kumanan finishes 16th

Nethra Kumanan, despite a rough start in the first race where she finished in 33, came back with a renewed sense of energy and grit, maintaining her position in the top 10 for most parts of the race but eventually losing out at the end while finishing 16th.

Kumanan entered the competition in an unchartered territory by being the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics in sailing. Competing against the world's best might seem intimidating, especially when your first race does not according to plan, Kumanan though, managed to find the willpower and persistence to come back strong in the second race.

She managed to maintain a healthy lead and was 6th at one point after the second mark, the Chennai-born sailor failed to maintain her position and lost out to other leaders who won the race eventually. Her performance though is commendable showing true signs of her potential. Kumaran's 10th position till Mark 3 indeed gives a great show of promise from the 23-year old female sailor.

Kumanan falls behind in the chasing pack and finishes in 16th. Germany 1st.

Decent day for the youngster who showed glimpses of promise till Mark 3 in Race 2. Then fell behind in the last couple of laps.#Tokyo2020 | #Sailing

— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) July 25, 2021

After the two races, she is now placed 27th amongst the 44 players with a net score of 49 competing in the women's laser-dial one-person dinghy event in sailing at the Tokyo Olympics. Netharan will be aiming to better her record in the upcoming races.

She has shown her true intent with her performance in the second round but her Olympics journey will depend on the collective score as she plans to give a powerful show in Tokyo.