Sailing is like playing chess with high heart rate: Nethra Kumanan

CHENNAI: For Nethra Kumanan, a woman of many talents, sport wasn't her only pursuit. During her formative years, the now 29-year-old was introduced to Bharatanatyam, which she learned for six years under Alarmel Valli, a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee.

She also explored the arts and martial traditions, learning Kalaripayattu, a martial art that originated in Kerala. Multiple sports, tennis, cycling, basketball, and swimming, also caught her attention. At 13, Nethra saw a world beyond the land when she started sailing at a summer camp organised by the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association at the end of Marina Beach.

Four years later, at 17, she represented India at the Asian Games in Korea, where she finished seventh in Laser Radial. A gold at the 2015 Class Championships Juniors in the Abu Dhabi leg of ASAF Youth Sailing Cup further strengthened her resolve.

What led to her picking sailing? “I think it gives you a sense of freedom. I sail on my own, so you have this sense of control in a boat on a vast ocean,” Nethra told DT Next in an exclusive conversation at an SRM Institute of Science and Technology event.

Slowly yet steadily, Nethra transformed from a curious teenager testing the waters into Indian sailing’s pioneer, becoming the first Indian woman to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Far from a serene day on open water, Olympic-class dinghy sailing can be brutal, high-stakes, and a tactical battle.

“They say sailing is like playing chess with a high heart rate. It is different from other sports in that way,” Nethra explains. “It is really decision-making at the right time. If you hesitate, it's the end of the world. You always need to be two steps ahead.”

Most of the mental battle is amplified because of the conditions outside of human control. That mental battle intensified at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where Nethra spent nearly a month contending with typhoons, rain, and shifting winds before claiming bronze.

“Usually, we have a bit of a joke in Murphy’s Law in sailing—at the event, there will always be something completely different from what you experienced in training,” she smiles. “You don't control Mother Nature. You just have to allow the boat and the ocean to work together. When that happens, it’s an indescribable feeling.”

On the conditions themselves, Nethra said, “They were very shifty, so it was anybody's game. It required a lot of risk-taking, which I didn’t necessarily do, which was the difference between bronze and gold. Mixed feelings, but happy to finally get my hands on an Asiad medal.”

Nethra’s bronze finish in Aichi-Nagoya wouldn’t have been possible without her experiences at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Tokyo launched her at the world level and gave her a reality check of the sport’s demands at the highest level, Paris was more about showcasing her skills.

"I think the first Olympics, all the hype was around qualifying and going for the first time,” she recalls her first Olympic experience. “It was so overwhelming, and I underperformed. When we went to Paris, it was a lot better; I had a lot of good races."

Unlike other sports, qualification to the final in itself is quite demanding in sailing. The athletes have to go through ten races, out of which only the best ten will progress to the medal race on the final day. As Nethra realised in Marseille, one bad day could pull down your average score significantly.

“One day, it was quite windy in Marseille, and we had a lot of races that brought down my average quite a lot, but I really enjoyed the tough experience. My parents were there, and a third Olympics will definitely be more about performing, and how I can push myself further.”

The road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics now presents a different kind of challenge: stable but high-velocity wind patterns. These conditions generally tend to favour stronger athletes, and that is exactly where much of Nethra’s time is being spent now, at the gym.

“It's quite predictable water, which means the advantage shifts toward bigger, taller, and stronger sailors. Now, it’s about hitting the gym, getting stronger, and refining my technique in heavy air,” she notes. “When the wind picks up and speed increases, tactical reliance drops. As they say in sailing, speed makes you a tactical genius.”

Spain has become Nethra's second home, and an important part of her sailing story. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, she travelled to Gran Canaria to train under two-time Olympian Tamas Eszes. What was initially meant to be a training stint turned into a longer stay after travel restrictions left her stranded in Spain.

"I spend most of my time training in Spain, with my coach [Eszes] running a training group there in the Canary Islands. However, that isn’t to say that there aren’t facilities in India. We [Tamil Nadu] have one of the longest coastlines, more clubs are opening up, and sailing has become much more accessible, with equipment. When you get to a national level, you can then think about putting your money into the sport.”

However, Nethra is still well aware of the ground reality of the sport in the country. Between confusing sailing with rowing and navigating the steep financial barrier to entry, the hurdles are evidently steep. Yet, with new clubs and Sports Development Authority of India (SDAT) pitching in, she remains optimistic about the tide turning.

“It’s not cricket or badminton; people often don't know what goes into it,” she says. “Me, I was fortunate to have my father’s backing early on before the state and central funding, and GoSports came in. But with new infrastructure and equipment access, the grassroots will open up.

“Once you give kids the boat to start with, everything changes.”