Hyderabad sailor Alekhya Coondoo bags gold in world championship

Hyderabad: City-based sailor Alekhya Coondoo won the Gold medal in the 420 class Sailing competition at YAI Youth Multi Class Sailing & Kiteboard Championship 2022.

The tournament was held from August 7 to 13 at the Krishnarajsagar Dam on the Cauvery River in Mandya Karnataka. The event was organised by Trishna Sailing Club, the Madras Sappers, and General Thimayya National Academy of Adventure Under the Aegis of The Yachting Association of India.

With the wind speed at 46 kilometers per hour gusting to 30 knots with large waves and intermittent rains, sunny and cloudy skies, the sailors got an opportunity to showcase their skills. There were a total of 12 races in each class over 4 days.

Alekhya represented the Secunderabad Sailing Club, teaming up with Kartik Chakali of the Navy Boys Sailing School (Goa) both hailing from Telangana. They were coached by Brijraj Verma of the Indian Navy Watermanship Training Centre (INWTC), Mumbai who has won numerous awards and represented India at International Sailing Championships.

The 420 class is the most popular class for competitive collegiate sailing across Europe and the US and is now getting popular in India. It is a stepping stone to the larger 470 class events in the Asian games and Olympic games. Alekhya hopes to represent India at the world’s 420 class championship.

A student of the Hyderabad Public School (Ramanthapur) Alekhya scored 94% on her ICSE board exam and is preparing for the NEET to pursue a career in medicine. She enjoys swimming and playing the guitar in her spare time. We wish her many more accolades and all the success in her future endeavors.