[Watch] Indian sailor Vishnu Saravanan trains hard ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
Indian sailor Vishnu Saravanan, who became the first Indian to secure a sailing berth at the Paris Olympics 2024, took to Instagram to post his training video as part of his preparations for the forthcoming Summer Games.
Vishnu has been accompanied by his physiotherapist Sarath Lal in the French capital for the quadrennial event. In the video, Vishnu can be seen doing stretches, strength exercises, and sailing practice in the run-up to the Games.
"The man who is prepared has his battle half fought,” Sarath Lal wrote on Instagram.
After competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Vishnu Saravanan is set to become only the second Indian sailor to represent India in multiple Summer Games after Farokh Tarapore, who was part of the Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, and the Barcelona 1992 Games.
Vishnu secured his Paris Olympics 2024 quota at the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship 2024 in Adelaide, Australia, after finishing 26th in a field of 152.
Alongside Vishnu, another Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan is also set to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024. She claimed the quota at the Last Chance Regatta under the Emerging Nations Programme in April 2024.
Vishnu Saravanan ended in 20th spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
The national sailing champion for the consecutive years from 2017 to 2023, Vishnu bagged a bronze medal at the U21 World Championships in Croatia in 2019 and a silver medal at the Mussanah Open Olympic Qualifiers in 2021.
Participating in his maiden Games at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Saravanan settled for the 20th place in the field of 35 sailors. He ended up as the second-best Asian sailor in the campaign after the Republic of Korea’s Jeemin Ha.
Later in 2022, he emerged as the continental champion after securing the gold medal at the Asian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. At the Asian Games in 2023, he clinched the bronze medal in Hangzhou, China.
Vishnu Saravanan takes part in the Laser Standard (ILCA7) category within the ILCA sailing class (International Laser Class Association). The Laser Standard boat is small and lightweight, with a single mast.