November 28, 2014
4 minutes reading time
Gautham And Chezhiyan Hope To Put India On World Sailing Map
India's 49erFX team of Varsha Gautham and Aishwarya Chezhiyan are aiming to put India on the world sailing map, starting with a good performance at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
India’s 49erFX team of Varsha Gautham and Aishwarya Chezhiyan are aiming to put India on the world sailing map, starting with a good performance at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The confident, bubbly youngsters are two of the youngest competitors sailing in Abu Dhabi. Gautham is 16-years-old whilst Chezhiyan is 18 and the pair are using the World Cup Final to hone in their racing skills and promote the sport back home, “India has not exactly been on the world sailing map in the past,” said Chezhiyan, “but hopefully we’ll put a pin on it very soon. The short term goal is the Rio 2016 Olympics and the long term goal is Tokyo 2020.”
Gautham and Chezhiyan are up against a strong 49erFX fleet in Abu Dhabi that features 2013 World Champions Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) and Spanish Olympic gold medallist Tamara Echegoyen who is sailing with Berta Betanzos.
With such distinguished accolades throughout the 17-boat elite pack of racers, Gautham and Chezhiyan are certainly not fazed, “Some of the best sailors are here and we can’t wait to race against them,” said Chezhiyan. “We feel like we’ve had a really good opportunity to be here and we’re going to take it.
“I don’t think age is a barrier and I don’t think we are disadvantaged in anyway. We don’t have any excuses to do badly because we’re young but I think we should just go out and kill it regardless. We know there are some really good sailors here but we’re not intimidated by the fact they’re former world champions and current world champions. We are just really happy to have opportunity to race against them and learn more.
“The aim is to be the best we can. As long as we do the things we can then as long as our process is good, our results will follow.”
After the opening day of racing Gautham and Chezhiyan are placed 17th overall. Throughout the opening three races in Abu Dhabi the pair have been pushing the fleet hard and with a day of competition under their belt, they will be looking up for the remaining days of racing.
Live Tracking
The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via the live tracking.
Click here to view live tracking.
Race Highlights
Fully-produced highlight packages from 27-30 November will be available to view on the ISAF Sailing World Cup YouTube Channel here.
Results
Results will be available straight from the water here – www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php
Click here to view the entry list.
Follow
ISAF Sailing World Cup website
http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php
ISAF Sailing World Cup Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/ISAFSailingWorldCup
About ISAF Sailing World Cup Final Abu Dhabi
All ten Olympic events will be contested in Abu Dhabi from 26-30 November, with an open kiteboarding event joining the fray around Lulu Island off the UAE capital’s stunning Corniche.
With just 20 boats in each event the competition is set to be fierce. Equipment will be supplied in eight of the ten Olympic events (RS:X sailors shall bring their own equipment) and support will be available for travel expenses and accommodation.
The Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club will host the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final with some technical facilities located at the adjacent Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club. The venue is located on the main island of the city with immediate access to the beautiful waters of the Arabian Gulf.
The ten Olympic events will contest an opening series and a Medal Race with the kiteboard fleet using a short track format. Prize money will be in awarded to the top three overall finishers in each of the Olympic events from a total prize purse of US$200,000.
The qualification system for the 2014 Final was published on 30 July 2014 and is included Addendum A of the Notice of Race. Click here for the Notice of Race. The first sailors to secure their place were confirmed at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander where the top ten in each event were offered a place.