CHENNAI: It is said that to succeed at the highest level, sportspersons need to have focus and single-minded dedication. They put in endless hours of training — both mental and physical — to make sure it becomes second nature to them. The price of living a dream seems steep, but not for those who sleep, eat and drink this sentiment. Local lad Navyn Prabhakar falls into this category.
The confident 11-year-old, youngest in the four-person national squad (for Optimist-class sailboats), has been in love with sailing since he was but a fledgling. “As a five-year-old, I watched my elder brother Praveen compete and do well in sailing. I was convinced that it was what I wanted to do. Now, six years down the road, I feel reassured,” he says.
The youngster takes part in fitness sessions three times a week with his personal trainer and sharpens his sailing skills daily for five hours in the afternoons. He feels tactics and technique are his strength while he needs to improve on his consistency. “I do running, push-ups, squats, crunches and stretching to ensure that my fitness remains at a good level. I’m not allowed to touch weights though. My overall sailing performances are also improving at a pleasing rate, and I hope to build on them further,” Navyn mentions.
When it all began, renowned coach Muna Jamal took the little enthusiast under his wing straightaway and gave him the necessary preparation. Subsequently, he’s also had international coaches — Ireland’s Thomas Chaix, Hong Kong’s Marek Nostitz-Jackowski and national coach Pete Conway of UK — all of whom have been impressed by his ability. “Navyn owes everything to Muna. He really gave him the best possible training. Pete also has great faith in him. This sport has changed Navyn, making him disciplined and responsible,” adds Ammu, his mother and a Tamil Nadu Sailing Association volunteer.
The DAV Public School alumnus has competed in many events abroad — in Ireland, France, UK, Turkey, Malta, Qatar and Malaysia — as well as in India and relishes the challenge more than anything else. “My best finish was in the U-9 Irish Cup in 2012, where I bagged the gold medal. Another happy memory is finishing second overall in the Onam Regatta in Kochi,” he smiles.
Competition events usually feature an average of 12 races and Navyn takes part in about two international and three national regattas (alongside many practice races) in a year. His next event, the Dutch Youth Regatta in Workum, from May 29-June 1 has 650 entries in nine categories. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s more about the joy of sailing well than the medals, although I’m going to try to bag one,” he signs off.