Telangana sailors rule Monsoon Regatta
Telangana sailors dominated Day 3 of the 17th YAI Monsoon Regatta. While Nilkonda Mani maintained his overall lead in the Under-16 Optimist class, youngster Vutla Narasimha stole the spotlight by securing his maiden national-level race victory
Hyderabad: Light to medium velocity winds marked the third day of the 17th YAI Monsoon Regatta National Ranking Championship here on Thursday. Three races were sailed in the Under-16 Optimist class, cementing a near-total clean sweep by Telangana sailors across most fleets
Nilkonda Mani once again topped the leaderboard with two top-three finishes, while reigning national champion Ravi Kumar Bennollu bounced back from a difficult opening two days to claim one win and a second-place finish.
However, the star of the day was Vutla Narasimha. The son of a daily wage laborer who recently returned from the Singapore Nationals, Narasimha won the third race of the day, pipping Ravi at the finish line in a hard-fought, 45-minute tactical battle. This marks Narasimha’s first race victory at a National Championship, a feat that lifts him to third place overall, trailing just behind Mani and Ravi Kumar.
Ravi Kumar, who entered as the top seed, was disqualified in Race 1. While his current performance lacks the clinical crispness he displayed at the Nationals, he remains within striking distance—just six points behind Mani. Narasimha, meanwhile, is biting at his heels just two points adrift of second place. Due to his Race 1 disqualification, Ravi has already exhausted his discard round.
While the Monsoon Regatta Cup remains open to anyone at this juncture, Nilkonda Mani stays firmly in command at the top.
In the girls’ division, Rameeza Bhanu has overtaken Shringari Roy. Both sailors are racing neck-and-neck across the course as they head for the podium; consistency in the final five races will decide the gold.
The Under-16 Novices fleet also took to the water on Thursday. Veer Vignesh from Mudfort Government School, Secunderabad, dominated the day with three wins. He is followed closely by Mohammad Rehman of the Telangana Sailing Association (TSA), while Roshni—also from Mudfort Government School—leads the girls’ novice category.
The Laser Boys category saw Preeth Siwal and Hriday Joshi of the Navy look virtually unsurpassable. However, dark horse Kownik Vardhan of MJPT Schools climbed from fourth to third overall, despite surviving a capsize in the fluky winds.
In the Laser Girls event, Katyayani Kaushik of the Navy and Ramyashree of MJPT Schools are leading the race for gold and silver. With the 10-race regatta only halfway through, the field remains wide open.
In the 29er Boys Skiffs, the duo of Vinod Dandu and Arvind Maloth continue to head the leaderboard, but the Navy boys, led by Sharanya Jadhav, are closing the gap after securing two solid victories on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the International 420 Mixed class witnessed a tight battle between Chandralekha and Badrinath’s respective crews, setting up a thrilling finale over the next two days.
Penalty Points Tally (End of Race 5)
Sub-Junior Boys (Under 16):
Nilkonda Mani (TSA) — 7 points
Ravi Kumar Bennollu (TSA) — 13 points
Vutla Narasimha (TSA) — 15 points
Sub-Junior Girls (Under 16):
Rameeza Bhanu (TSA) — 18 points
Shringari Roy (SSC) — 21 points
Sakshi Kumari (TSA) — 40 points
Junior Boys Laser (Under 18):
Preeth Siwal (Navy) — 5 points
Hriday Joshi (Navy) — 10 points
Kownik Vardhan (MJPT Schools) — 18 points
29er Skiffs (Boys):
Vinod Dandu & Arvind Maloth (TSA) — 7 points
Sharanya Jadhav & Shivam Walmiki (Navy) — 9 points
Rizwan Mahammad & Sathwik Dhoki (Navy) — 13 points
International 420 Mixed (All TSA):
Chandralekha & Dhanush — 7 points
Badrinath & Rishwita — 8 points
Sirisha & Ramcharan — 14 points
