Nethra Kumanan clinched India's second Paris Olympics 2024 berth in sailing on Friday, securing it through the Emerging Nations Program at the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres, France.
Nethra Kumanan clinched India's second Paris Olympics 2024 berth in sailing on Friday, securing it through the Emerging Nations Program at the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres, France.
Competing in the women's dinghy (ILCA 6), Nethra, who competed in Tokyo Games, finished fifth overall with 67 net points. However, she claimed the Olympic quota as the top performer among sailors from the Emerging Nations Program who hadn't yet secured one.
NETHRA IS GOING TO THE OLYMPICS, AGAIN!!!! 🎆⛵️
Nethra Kumanan becomes the first Indian female sailor to qualify for -back-to-back Olympics. She CONFIRMS quota through Emerging Nations Program (ENP), despite missing out on top three positions in the final rankings of… pic.twitter.com/IOv3w70HCu
World Sailing, the sport's governing body, aims to bolster athletes from lesser-known sailing nations through its ENP program, helping them compete at the highest level.
The top three sailors securing Olympic quotas in the women's dinghy were Romania's Ebru Bolat (36 net points), Marilena Makri of Cyprus (37 net points), and Slovenia's Lin Pletikos (54 net points). Tatiana Drozdovskaya, a six-time Olympian competing as an individual neutral athlete, came fourth with 59 net points, narrowly missing out.
The Last Chance Regatta served as the final Olympic qualifying event for sailing ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.