The last two days of individual racing on December 18 and 19, saw trials and tribulations by the young Sri Lankan team as they fought alongside experienced sailors. Sri Lanka’s B team made up of Akash De Simon, Vinuk Senaratne, twins Kyoshi Samarakkody and Kyasha Samarakkody and Sohanya de Mel went up against the final winning team Singapore. Team racing kicked off on day four, with Sri Lanka’s A team consisting of Yusef Hazari, twins Tharen Nanayakkara and Nikhil Nanayakkara, Minuga Hettigamage and Chathuni Marapperuma, pitted against Thailand, that won overall second place. The young sailors did well throughout the individual races on December 16 with Yusef Hazari placed 9 th, followed by Tharen Nanayakkara in 17 th place. The individual races kicked off on December 15 where the Sri Lankan team was placed in the Silver Fleet. The event began with a gala opening ceremony on December 13, followed by practice races December 14. This year, 13 teams with 101 participants raced at the annual IODA Asian and Oceanian championship, one of the most prestigious Optimist racing events. “With the right exposure, these are world class sailors.” We have world champion material amongst our midst, they just don’t have enough experience,” he said. “The more the children participate in different seas with different sailors, the more experience they will gain. “We have a fantastic team with incredible talent,” said Krishan Janaka, Sri Lanka’s national sailing coach. While other teams funded by government bodies including the army and the navy, participate in at least six international events throughout the year, for the self-funded Sri Lankan team, the annual Asian and Oceanian championship is the only international event they participate as a team. The young Sri Lankans made up for their lack of experience on international waters, with grit and determination. “We’re looking forward to qualify and win at the next one.” “Out of all the sporting events we have participated in, this has been the most competitive and exciting one,” said the Samarakkody twins – Kyoshi and Kyasha. “I hope to win a podium place next year,” he said.ĭespite being the underdogs amongst the 101 participants, the team sailed alongside champions of the seas including Thailand, the US, Belgium, Japan and Singapore and showed a tremendous fight on the waters.įor most of the youngsters aged between 13 and 15, this year’s IODA Asian and Oceanian championship was their maiden international event, as they missed out on the previous two years’ championship due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and they are determined to win next year. “It was my first experience at an international sailing event on seas outside Sri Lanka, and it was fantastic,” said Hazari. Sri Lanka’s reining national sailing champ, Yusef Hazari of Royal College, clinched seventh place in the Silver fleet, coming in second, in the final race. The Sri Lankan junior national sailing team successfully completed seven days of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) Asian and Oceanian championship in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday. Royalist Yusef Hazari, reigning national champ placed 7th
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