Setting sails, seeing success: Story of sailor Shreya
CHENNAI: Just as Shreya Krishna Lakshminarayanan was returning from Langkawi, along with her Indian sailing teammates, midway through the air, the cabin crew made an announcement. They congratulated the entire team for their success at the Langkawi International Regatta and read out the names of every sailor, including that of Shreya with the entire flight full of passengers applauding.
The teenager, however, missed it completely as she was fast asleep in her seat. "Oh that was super nice," laughs Shreya. "Honestly I kind of missed that because I was fast asleep on the flight because I was jet lagged but thankfully everyone took a video so I could hear it and listen to it once I was awake. The fact that our own country looks at us and actually identifies our achievements, it was very touching," she adds.
Shreya came first among the girls and fourth overall at the event earlier this week. In fact, it was her ninth international podium since October 2023. It has been that kind of a year for Shreya. She started her 2024 with a girls silver at Sail India in Mumbai before winning gold in Malaysia. Even during the summer holidays she went to Europe to train with the much-revered coach Simone Ricci. "The conditions were super tough, it was super challenging. He just taught me new techniques of the way the Europeans sail and that's the way I gained more experience," she recalls.
The learnings came in handy when she returned to India. Multiple podium finishes followed in Hyderabad before Shreya won overall and girls gold at the Junior Nationals in Mysore. She went on to win girls gold Mussanah Racing Week, Mussanah, Oman, Australia Junior Nationals and silver in Qatar International Optimist Regatta before the Langkawi event. In what has been a whirlwind of a year, what has helped Shreya thrive is the support system she has. Whether it is her parents - G Lakshminarayanan and Sharon Krishna - or coaches Simone or Chitresh Tatha, they have all played a part. "There were times I would get frustrated. I'd tell my coach I don't want to do this anymore. I would just have a mental break because not only do I have to do sailing, I have to study, I have to make sure my nutrition is up to date and my fitness is also going great at the same time right and sometimes your mental health also has to be fantastic where you can continue," Shreya explains. "I was like I started professional sailing too late so it was pretty hard for me to get in on my goals that I wanted in a very very short time but Chitresh really changed my entire mindset and way of thinking. I started thinking of more positives and things that are really possible rather than things that I cannot get a hand of," she adds.
For Chitresh, who does kite surfing himself and is training for the Olympics, it started as a part-time training with Shreya mid 2024. "Shreya had lots of information and knowledge in her head. But she was not able to transfer it into practical performance on water. She needed some more time on water and somebody to guide her to make the theoretical part into practical experience. So that was something that we worked on the most," Chitresh says.
Meanwhile, Suheim Sheikh, Telangana Sailing Association, who too has played a part in Shreya's journey, feels that the teenager is "highly coachable." "She is very, very smart, and highly determined and motivated. Without determination and motivation self, that would never, this kind of performance would never happen. The other thing is the amazing parental support. The father has found out who the best coaches in the world are, taken her to various countries, and consulted the father himself as a good mentor. He makes sure that she gets the finest South Indian food and knows exactly what she requires. All that matters a lot," says Sheik.
Ashok Thakkar, vice-president of Tamil Nadu Sailing Association, who saw Shreya at a summer camp years ago is thrilled to see her journey so far. "Any small improvement she showed was appreciated by her parents and that motivated her more. When you start winning your confidence goes up, once you get it right, winning becomes easy. I think Shreya trained her mind to work for the entire race period," said Thakkar.
As Shreya is coming up the ranks, several of her travels to the events are still self-funded with Sheik, among others, playing their part. For now, Shreya is taking small steps forward with her focus on the Worlds in Slovenia. "I want to do really well in the Worlds in Slovenia and the Asian Championship in Oman and then to try and hopefully try and get an invite to the IOC Regatta," she signs off.