Leaving no stone unturned in her pursuit of an Olympic quota, Nethra rose above the waters to jump out to an early lead that she never relinquished. She steamed ahead of countrymate Ramya Saravanan and secured a historic Tokyo Olympics quota in the Laser Radial class with a race to spare.
Nethra broke barriers in sailing by becoming the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics. She made yet more history after becoming the first Indian sailor to earn a direct quota through an Olympic qualifier. In previous editions, all Indian sailors have qualified through nominations for quota spots that did not fill up through qualifiers.
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Bouncing back after Rio disappointment
A year after winning bronze at the ASAF Youth Sailing Cup, Nethra Kumanan was viewed as a potential gold medalist heading into the Rio Olympic qualifiers. However, a seventh-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Asian Championships was a humbling end to her Olympic qualifying campaign. The 2016 Rio qualifier still niggles at the back of her mind as a lost opportunity.
Nethra has a natural skill in the boat that sets her apart from the rest of the fleet and she barely seems to break a sweat in the heat of competition. It is her renowned air of calm self-possession that stands out from all the rest.
She possesses an immeasurable amount of raw talent, and her parents have been there to push her along the way. Their support gave her the conviction that she can get whatever she sets her eyes on.
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The many firsts of Nethra Kumanan’s career
Nethra made a career breakthrough in 2014 when she bagged her first international medal with a third-place finish at the India International Regatta. However, she couldn’t go on to replicate that success at the Asian Games in Incheon.
A year following her Rio heartbreak, Nethra finished in 39th place at the Under-21 World Championships. With a sixth-place finish at the 2018 Asian Sailing Championships, her confidence was now flourishing as she began to establish herself on the bigger stage. At 22, Nethra reached a new milestone in her career, fetching India its first-ever sailing medal at the World Cup.
She is now eager to gather some valuable experience at the Tokyo Olympics which will hold key to her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
From displaying her footwork in Bharatnatyam dance to reveling in the sea waves, Nethra has seen stellar growth in her career with the sky now being the limit for this trailblazer.
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