Vishnu Saravanan in all smiles (Courtesy: SAI_Media)
In a remarkable breakthrough for Indian sailing, Vishnu Saravanan, the laser standard classic sailor qualified for the Paris 2024, making him the first sailor from India to book to consecutive Olympics quota.
The Mumbai-based sailor secured the quota for Paris 2024 after finishing 26th out of 152 participants in the ILCA-7 World Championships. He, thus, became the first Indian sailor to cut for Paris 2024. A subedar from the Army Yachting Node, Saravanan, was placed at fifth place in the Olympics quota rankings after ten races. There were a total of seven places up for grabs at the Adelaide Sailing Club.
The 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist surpassed gold medallists from Singapore Asian Games and medallists from Hong Kong and Thailand to secure the top spot in the continental qualification. He finished the competition with an overall score of 174. His lowest score of 49 was deducted, following the standard rule, resulting in his net score of 125.
At 22, Vishnu was the youngest sailor in the Indian sailing contingent at Tokyo 2020. He hails from a family of sailors, where his father Ramachandran Saravanan, a former Madras Sappers Sailor, failed to pursue a career in sailing while his sister Ramya, sailing in laser radial class, could not make the cut for Tokyo 2020.
In his childhood, Vishnu also played sports like tennis and was selected for junior nationals in javelin throw. He trains under coach Alexandr Denisiuc and mentor Trevor Millar, founder of the Sail Coach Academy.
