Nethra Kumanan wins bronze in women’s dinghy sailing at Asian Games

India’s Nethra Kumanan secured the bronze medal in the women’s dinghy sailing event at the Asian Games on Friday, earning her first podium finish at the continental competition in her fourth appearance.

The 29-year-old Chennai-based two-time Olympian finished with 14 points overall, including seven from the qualification races and seven from the final. Thailand’s Sophia Montgomery won gold with five points, while Singapore’s Jania Ang took silver with 13 points.

In sailing, competitors accumulate points based on their finishing positions in each race, with first place earning one point. The sailor with the lowest overall score wins.

Kumanan won one of the two final races and finished sixth in the other. She had previously competed at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Asian Games, finishing fourth at two of those editions.

In the men’s dinghy event, India’s Vishnu Saravanan finished fourth with 21 points. Despite securing second place in both final races, his qualification score left him just outside the medal positions.

Korea’s Jeemin Ha won gold with nine points, while Hong Kong, China’s Nicholas Halliday took silver with 11 points. Malaysia’s Mohd Khairulnizam finished third with 14 points.

Saravanan, a 27-year-old Olympian, had won bronze at the previous edition of the Asian Games.

India also added two sailing medals on Thursday, with Manu Francis and Kurisinkal Noble winning silver in the men’s skiff event, while Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma secured bronze in the women’s competition.

Kumanan’s bronze adds another medal to India’s sailing campaign and marks her first Asian Games podium after three previous appearances.

with inputs from PTI