Olympian sailor from India, Vishnu Saravanan, has already secured a quota spot for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. At the Europa Cup 2024 sailing meet in Mallorca, Spain, he won the gold medal in the men’s one-person dinghy (ILCA7) category.
Saravanan, who competed for the nation in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and placed twentieth, won the 91-boat race with 17 net points. Willem Wiersema of the Netherlands also scored the same points, but Saravanan prevailed in the category on a technicality.
The Reial Club Nautic Port de Pollenca was the event’s organizer, and Australia’s Lawson McAullay took home the bronze medal with 22 net points.
During the meet, Saravanan won two of his seven races. 334 sailors competed in the Europa Cup during the Olympic year, which attracted a large field of competitors. The three-day competition was characterized by wind speeds ranging from 15 to +30 knots.
Saravanan made Olympic history in January of this year by becoming the first Indian to earn a sailing quota for Paris 2024. He accomplished this at the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship 2024 in Australia.
Within the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) sailing class, there is a category called ILCA7. With only one mast, the Laser Standard is a lightweight, compact boat.
He also won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou the previous year.
