The Hindu : Sport / Sailing : Rajesh recovers to post big win

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Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008
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Sport - Sailing

Rajesh recovers to post big win

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Rajesh Choudhary may have missed out on the opening race’s honours of the Laser National championships at the Hussain Sagar here on Monday. The two-time Asian Games bronze medallist more than made up for that faulty first race start by sailing to an authoritative win in the second and with a commanding margin at that.

Boats ploughed the waters of the historic lake under a densely overcast sky, the swells skimming the surface frequently and a spray greeting visitors all through the action.

Follow the leader

Setting out on a starboard tack with wind speeds in the region of 15 to 17 knots, ‘Chow,’ as he is popularly known, chose to swing to the right first. That it is the leader who strikes a different path became evident when the rest of the fleet followed suit.

Rajesh rounded the windward mark first after the opening beat, followed by Ram Kumar, B.K. Rout and Jasvir in that order.

His versatility was to the fore on the reaches, but where he really widened the gap was on the upwind leg of the loop, that he again completed first, Rout rounding the buoy next. Jasvir and D.P. Selvam had by then got the better of Ram Kumar.

Thereon, Rajesh stretched the lead, separating himself further from the flock, with little doubt that he was the front-runner.

Rout, who suffered a mast collision, even when having right of way, was pipped to the post by Jasvir and Selvam, who powered their way to the finish line on a port tack, while the former streamed in from starboard.

The Marriot End, as the leeward mark was named, proved a tough turning point for sailors, especially those of the Radial fleet, many of whom capsized when turning too sharply.

The results: Laser Standard I: 1. Jasvir Singh 2. V. Hari Hara 3. B.K. Rout (all AYN, Mumbai). II: 1. Rajesh Choudhary 2. Jasvir (both AYN) 3. D.P. Selvam (EMESA).

Laser 4.7: I: 1. Xerxes Bamboat (RBYC) 2. Sharad Chandra Singh (NSS) 3. Varun A. Thakkar (TNSA). II: 1. Sarav Rajavelu 2. Shwetha Sadanandam (both TNSA) 3. Xerxes Bamboat.

Laser Radial: I: 1. Ramesh Kumar 2. Gajender Singh 3. Parvinder Singh (all AYN). II: 1. Gajender Singh 2. Sukhvir Singh 3. Ramesh Kumar (all AYN).

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