Rajesh Choudhary cruised to his third crown in the Laser Radial category of the Sail the Gulf championship at Doha, Qatar recently. He had won earlier in 2000 and 2002.
Now attached to the Army Yachting Node (AYN), Mumbai, the champion helmsman finished with 26 points, nine ahead of silver medallist Youssef Akrout of Tunisia and separated himself by 26 points from Malaysia's Mohd Affendy, placed third. In the fray were 34 sailors from 17 countries, five of them from India.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said he'd participated in the smaller rig in preparation for the Asian Games. After the said continental event, he would revert to his pet Laser Standard to compete in the Olympic Qualifiers, slated for Perth in December next year.
Light winds
The two-time Asian Games bronze medallist said light winds prevailed in the early stages. “Mercifully this time, there were no sand storms that usually lash the sea from the desert, affecting visibility considerably,” said the Subedar Major.
From being shifty over the first three days, the winds steadied in a south eastern direction over the latter half of the competition. Not surprisingly, Choudhary signed off with a first position win in the 10-race format.
Compatriots Ajay Rau, Dharmender Singh, Jasvir Singh and Gaurav Randhawa finished 10th, 14th, 17th and 22nd respectively.
