9 days to Tokyo Olympics: "Finishing in the top 10 is our goal" - Indian sailor KC Ganapathy

Back in April 2021, the Indian sailing contingent weathered tough conditions and rough waters at the Mussanah Open to book four spots in the Tokyo Olympics. In doing so, they etched their names in the history books.

Prior to 2020, India's representation at the Olympics was restricted to a single event per edition. However, this year's edition will feature four Indian sailors: Nethra Kumanan (Laser Radial), Vishu Saravanan (Laser Standard class), and the pair of KC Ganapathy-Varun Thakkar (49er Class), who will look to make a mark across three separate events.

In what will be a double bonanza, India will have the most sailors participating in most events across the country's history at the upcoming edition of the Olympics. It's a remarkable feat that could propel the sport's popularity.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, young KC Ganapathy shed light on what it means to qualify for the Olympics, the obstacles that lie ahead for the Indian contingent, and more. Explaining what it means to have qualified, he said:

"We're very happy to have qualified. For us, it's a stepping stone and one day, the goal is to win a medal. We've put in a good 10 years of hard work for this. Varun and I started sailing in 2011, we've wanted to qualify for the Olympics from 2014. We even told many people we will do it, and it's good to walk the talk. We are grateful and relieved, and now we have to work harder."

For a couple of youngsters barely over the age of 25, celebrating a milestone such as entering the Olympics came naturally, but there was a larger task at hand.

To these sailors, their boats are their babies. The duo needed to clean and dry their craft to get it ready for packaging, which meant there wasn't enough time to celebrate.

"It was a six-day event, we are the mechanics of our boat. We washed it up, cleaned it and had to dismantle it. The next day was the packing of the container. The immediate bit was to clear it because it was salt water, we needed to dry it and pack it. Later, the prize giving happened, it was a relaxed evening but it was nothing fancy. So after the Olympics, we might get sometime off to enjoy ourselves (laughs)."

Ganapathy and Thakkar's story dates back to their school times. In an effort to channel all their energy towards sailing, the duo opted out of regular schooling and took up home schooling instead.

Looking back at the decision, Ganapathy elucidated the thought process that went into picking a career in sailing over a mainstream educational degree by saying:

"When we dropped out, we did open schooling. Varun’s continued with college as well. We didn’t step away massively from main stream education, and now we can say it’s worth it. I would probably study more if I go back, but that said, we understood that if you get 60 per cent, you can get a job, nothing wrong. For us, the pressure is way more, you need to be on the podium, otherwise it seems like you are not doing it right, the pressure is different. We’ve enjoyed sailing, that’s helped through the tough times."

"Making the top 10 is our goal"

Ganapathy and Thakkar clinched the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games. But the 25-year-old reckons that on a personal level, qualifying for the Olympics is a bigger feat.

Participating in the Tokyo Olympics will give the talented pair a chance to ply their trade against the world's best sailors. The opportunity could also prove to be the perfect catalyst in their quest for excellence at the 2022 Asian Games and the 2024 Olympics.

As for their Tokyo Olympic goals, the realistic aim is to finish in the top 10 against a talented pool of opposition. Ganapathy said:

"In the 49ers category, New Zealand are the best, they are the reigning Olympic champions, and 5-time World Champions. The Oceanic countries are strong in our class. Making the Top 10 would be our goal. We go to win, but if you look at previous results, it’s hard to say. We’re a young team in this bunch, and many of the other guys have sailed for 20 years. We’ve to keep chipping away, our time will come."

India's best result in the 49ers category is 19th at the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, when the pair of Malav Shroff and Sumeet Patel represented the country.

"Going to international events since 2007 has helped us get to the Olympics"

The young Indian pair will need to stave off competition from 18 other countries in their quest for Olympic glory in Tokyo. What will hold the duo in good stead is training together for over a decade against some quality competition.

Having spent the majority of the lockdown period in Chennai and then Abu Dhabi, the pair haven't been devoid of practice since late last year. After months of practice amidst some of the world's strongest breezes and largest waves in Portugal, the pair will be confident of thriving in similar conditions in Tokyo.

However, Ganapathy is also well aware of the many obstacles that lie ahead of them. Not least of them are the other sailors that they will face at the Olympics, who have decades' worth of sailing experience under their belts. Speaking about their lack of participation against strong teams, he said:

"The world No. 2 is as good as the No.1. When these kids from other countries grow up, it’s something (sailing) that the whole family goes and does. Some of them are born and brought up on a boat. It’s a part of their culture, grassroots level coaching and education is there. We’re lucky that we’ve been going to international events since 2007, and it’s helped us get here now. A young NZ team will progress in six months the amount we progress in two years because of the exposure and facilities, it’s not comparable. Like in cricket, if you are No.20, you are good enough to play in every other team apart from Australia or New Zealand."

Having overcome major hurdles in their journey together, Ganapathy is confident that a positive mindset will take them a long way towards achieving their goal at the Tokyo Olympics.

"We haven’t trained with the best teams for almost two years, since November 2018. We haven’t done much racing, since in Asia, there were many restrictions due to the pandemic. It’s a different challenge compared to before. We have to stick with our routines, stay healthy and stay fit. We love training, we enjoy doing it. We’re grateful it all worked out and we can keep achieving our goals. The major focus is to win, but if you are overstressing, you lose the plot. So if we give it our best, we will do well."

"What we do over the next few years will make a difference"

Having made the biggest sporting stage at such a young age, Ganapathy happily acknowledged the force behind their goal of making the Olympics by saying:

"Without the federation and Sports Authority of India (SAI)’s support, we wouldn’t be where we are. Private sponsors’ support has also allowed us to hire our own coach. We won three Asian Games medals in 2018 and now we've qualified for the Olympics. As the sport gets better and we get better, it’s automatic that promotion comes up. We have a massive coastline, we aren’t doing justice to it for water sports. It’s mutually beneficial, as much as we do, promotion of the sport will happen."

Sport as a whole has received some backing from local boards and the Indian government as well. However, in the grander scheme of things, sailing has been thrown in at the deep end.

However, there's still room for course correction. Ganapathy is of the opinion that the Indian contingent's performance in the coming years — beginning at the Olympics — could set an example for the youngsters to follow. He said:

"Tamil Nadu Sailing Association (TNSA) was doing a good job. But with harbors and protocols, it’s come down from what it was a few years ago. There has to be educated promotion of the sport. If anybody goes to a beach and takes a boat, they might put their life in danger. We intend to start a sailing school, it’s what I do that will make a difference. What we do over the next few years in helping the sport and bringing new kids in will make a difference."

A journey that began a decade ago will now be represented on global sports' biggest stage. Ganapathy and Thakkar might have represented the country at various events across the world, but sailing through the waves of pressure at their Olympic debut will be something they will cherish for a lifetime.