The India contingent that participated in the Oman Sailing Championship 2018 made the country proud with their rich haul of medals in the event. Five of the six contestants returned home with medals, which included three golds, a silver and a bronze.
Ritika Dangi won the gold in the Optimist class while Uma Chauhan got the bronze in the same race. In the Optimist class boys’ race, Ashish Vishwakarma clinched the gold and Neel Anand won the silver. In the Laser 4.7 class, Satish Yadav bagged the gold medal.
The week-long competition was held from August 2 to August 8 and saw 130 sailors between the ages of 10 and 17 compete in various races at the Sur Sailing School.
The Yachting Association of India (YAI) acknowledged the sterling performance of the Indian sailors and said that these 13- to 16-year-old sailors are the future Olympic medal hopes for the country.
A senior YAI official said that this path-breaking performance proves the fine mettle of Indian sailors.
The young sailors are being trained to aim for podium finished at the Olympics, with the support of the ministry of youth affairs and sports. Dedicated training has been imparted to these young under-16 sailors by the YAI with the assistance of the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The president of the YAI also congratulated the medal winners for bringing glory to the nation.