State Sailors Paint a Pretty Picture at Cadet World Championships
Competing against 65 boats from 11 top sailing nations, including the UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany, the young Indian squad delivered India’s best-ever overseas international performance in the class.
HYDERABAD: In an unprecedented achievement for Indian sailing, an eight-member national team, all hailing from Hyderabad and Telangana, returned victorious from the International Cadet Class World Under-17 Championships at Lake Garda, Italy. The Indian contingent secured a total of 16 medals across individual races, capped by an overall silver medal in the Silver Fleet.
Competing against 65 boats from 11 top sailing nations, including the UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany, the young Indian squad delivered India’s best-ever overseas international performance in the class.
Three-time Sub-Junior National Champion Ravikumar Banneoulu (15) and his crew member Badrinath Nirudu secured an impressive eighth-place overall finish, including a spectacular single-race victory along the way.
Vinod Dandu (16) and crew member Mani Nilkondla (14) finished 11th overall after a fiercely competitive 11-race regatta.
The female duo of Chandralekha Tattari (16) and Rishwita Sunchankota (14) secured an overall silver medal in the Silver Fleet, out of 52 boats. They missed out on gold by just one penalty point, despite suffering gear failures in their opening two races.
The squad was completed by promising sailors Kounik Vardhan from Hanamkonda and Hanumanth Vadhtya from Nalgonda, 20 out of 52 in the Silver fleet.
The Indian tri-colour was a frequent sight on the podium at Lake Garda during the prize-giving ceremony, marking a historic turnaround for India following its earlier appearances at Plymouth in 2024 and Lake Lipno in the Czech Republic.
The double-handed International Cadet Class, one of only two junior dinghy classes sailed globally alongside the Optimist, demands exceptional coordination between the skipper and crew to handle three sails, including the complex spinnaker.
Reintroduced in India just two years ago after a 21-year hiatus by Suheim Sheikh, President of the Telangana Sailing Association and Yacht Club of Hyderabad, the program’s rigorous training has yielded world-class results in record time.
“I think we have mastered the Cadet Class to a point where we can consistently win podiums on the world stage,” said Suheim Sheikh, President of the Cadet Class Association of India.
“Our sights are now set on the next World Championships in Germany. With experienced sailors like Ravi and Vinod returning with valuable international experience, we expect to field a larger fleet and challenge for top honours,” he added.
The young sailors represent local community institutions, showcasing the strength of Telangana’s grassroots sports development. Ravikumar Banneoulu, Chandralekha Tattari and Mani Nilkondla are from Udbhav School (Rasoolpura, Secunder-abad); Vinod Dandu and Badrinath belong to Nallakunta and Bansilalpet Government Schools respectively while Rishwita Sunchankota (Kamareddy), Hanumanth Vadhtya (Nalgonda) and Kounik Vardhan (Hanamkonda) are students of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Telangana Praja Welfare Residential Schools (MJPT).
