Ganapathy hopes to brave the storm and clinch gold

Like every other seaman, KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar have a destination to reach in the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia. Though the sport does not require one to scale heights, the Tamil Nadu duo, which will be participating in the 49er class, has fixed its eyes on climbing on top of the podium and bagging the gold medal for the nation.

“The objective is to win the event and I am pretty confident going into it,” Ganapathy was optimistic. The Indian pair had finished on top at the Asian Sailing Championships in Jakarta in June. It will hope to come up trumps second time running in a country which could turn out to be a fortress by the end of the Games. “We have been doing good. The competition is going to be hard but we will do well,” he added during an exclusive chat with DT Next. 

Footballer Lionel Messi wouldn’t have become an overnight sensation had he not believed in the result of meticulous preparation and hard work. Talking about the drills they have been doing leading up to the continental event, he said, “We went to Europe as a part of our build-up (to the event). In Poland, we finished 25th out of 93. And then, we travelled to Denmark where we trained with our coach, Jonas Warren, who is also sailing the 49er currently. It went on till August 4.”

The 22-year-old was forced to sit out towards the final quarter of 2017 and the initial months of 2018. “I had a shoulder surgery in September. I was out of action for about five to six months, I had my rehabilitation during that period. Since then, it’s been solid training,” stated Ganapathy.  

Ganapathy has forged a close bond with his partner Varun since their tender years. Talking about his partnership with the Chennai-based lad, he remarked, “We have known each other for ages, since we were little kids. We have been sailing together since 2011, we have come a long way. We have had ups and downs during this journey but we complement each other’s strength very well.”

“I am thankful to the Sports Authority of India and Yachting Association of India. Without the support of private sponsors (Merit Software Services, South India Shelters and Orient Blackswan), this wouldn’t be possible as sailing is an expensive sport,” he signed off.