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Master mariner

PRAISEWORTHY PERFORMANCE Hussain Bhavnagarvala

Hussain Bhavnagarvala took to the sea — fears of its potential fury tossed aside — at the age of ten. Five years hence, the move driven by a sense of prescience has paid off. Hussain’s consistency helped him win the gold medal at th e Bareh International Regatta championship sailing event, conducted by the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association. He triumphed in three out of the six races at Bahrain to edge ahead of the rest.

“The conditions were very windy on the first day, with just light winds on the second. It was a good experience,” said Tamil Nadu Sailing Association’s Hussain, who claimed his first international medal.

As a 10-year-old, a prospective future in sailing was met with minimal reluctance. “I was a little scared only for the first time, but once I liked it, I took it up full-time,” he said. Thereafter, his progress was chartered by his first coach Munna Jamal, Ninad Mykear and Captain Ravikumar, not to forget the support of his Chettinad Vidyashram principal, Bhavani Shankar, which he acknowledges.

The 15-year-old, prior to his first international medal, had shown consistency in the National events held in Chennai. He finished third overall in the 2007 optimist event, and second in this edition’s Nationals. His performances came in for praise from TNSA’s Chief Coach Munna Jamal. “Hussain is remarkably focussed for his age. There are very few who can master sailing in low winds, but it’s something Hussain can manage quite well. At Bahrain, the wind varied from three to four knots to almost 25 knots, but he still managed to come out on top. Physically and mentally, he’s on the right path,” he said.

The TNSA team (six out of the seven Indian sailors were from the TNSA, with one from Bhopal) had creditable finishes in the Bahrain event.

The sailors will travel to Indonesia, Doha and Turkey in the near future. The results haven’t surprised Jamal, who looks forward to a new set of 15 sailors this year.

“We planted the seed six years ago, and it’s been bearing fruit since last year, and it has now given us our first international medal. Sailors from the TNSA are absolutely committed, and their parents, even more so. They give them the right kind of support and are very involved.

“We’ve had the results to back our efforts. The Inland National champion (lake), the Coastal National champion, the National girls’ champion and the National under-12 champion are all from the TNSA. Our sailors can compete in any conditions — stormy, hot or otherwise.”

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