- KR Bharat
- 2025-12-17
Here is a clean, polished news report with a Mumbai/Hyderabad:
Telangana sailors delivered an outstanding performance at the Nagoya 2026 Asian Games First Selection Trials held in Mumbai, clinching four medals, including one gold, two silvers and one bronze, reaffirming the state’s growing dominance in Indian sailing.
Eight sailors from Telangana trained in Mumbai for 45 days and finished the trials with flying colours, underlining the continued excellence of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad (YCH) on the national sailing stage.
This edition of the Asian Games marks the first inclusion of a junior category, and YCH maximised the opportunity by fielding four entries — one senior and three under-18 sailors, according to head coach Sueheim Sheikh.
The Yacht Club of Hyderabad’s intensive Skiff training programme at Hussain Sagar, along with the procurement of modern boats and the engagement of top international coaches, played a key role in the medal haul, Sheikh said.
Hyderabad’s under-15 Sub-Junior National Champion Lahiri Komaravelly skipped the Oman International Regatta to focus on training in the 29er Skiff class and immediately struck gold in the trials alongside crew Eswa Suragani Goud.
Lahiri’s sister Deekshita Komaravelly, sailing with crew Abdul Raheem of Parsi School, Secunderabad, finished with a hard-fought silver, losing by a narrow 0.44 points margin to gold medallist Ekalavya Batham of Bhopal.
In the senior skiff class, Thanuja Kameshwar and crew Dharani Laveti secured silver and frequently outperformed seasoned Indian Navy sailors during the regatta. The duo, who recently transitioned to the 49er FX class, showcased their potential against the country’s best, including Navy sailors Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma.
Deekshita and Lahiri are students of Kallam Anji Reddy School and Udbhav School, Rasoolpura, respectively.
Highlighting grassroots development, MJPT BC Welfare Schools Secretary B. Saidulu, IFS, said students Eswa Goud (Motakondur School, Suryapet) and Arvind Mahlot (Dharamaram School, Kamareddy) were selected from over 100 young sailors and delivered commendable performances at the national level.
Eswa and Arvind joined the Yacht Club of Hyderabad just seven months ago and trained at Hussain Sagar and Mandwa, Mumbai. Eswa emerged as a gold medallist, while Arvind secured bronze, showing promise for the future.
With two more selection trials scheduled in January and February 2026, the Telangana sailors will next compete at the India International Regatta in Chennai and continue fitness training at the Sucharita Academy under coach Sivaprasad.
“We will go back to the drawing board and work harder to secure final selection for the Asian Games in Nagoya,” said Sueheim Sheikh, Director of High Performance and President of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad.
