Sweta Shervegar from Mumbai and her partner Varsha Gautam from Chennai jointly won silver medal in 49er FX women’s sailing event during the 18th Asian Games. Well, only if they had got ample time to perform their practice sessions, it could have been more than just silver for them.
It was quite unfortunate to know that the duo were busy battling the issue of non-selection of the Asian Games instead of practicing for the competition. These duos were not the prime choices made by the selection committee of Yachting Association of India despite achieving silver in Jakarta in the Asian Sailing Championship.
Sweta said that they were not selected to take part in the Asian Games initially and hence they had to file a case in the High Court. Varsha had to travel from Chennai to Delhi and hence a whole lot of time was invested running around on the court.
The Delhi High Court then issued a notice to the Indian Olympic Association to include the duo in 49er FX sailing team. They had less than 2 weeks to train themselves for the quadrennial event which was held in Jakarta. Sweta and Varsha could have easily won gold if they had some time to prepare, but they did not give up and celebrated their victory.
Winning silver was equally a great moment for them, especially considering the strong winds. The recent victory has made them confident and is motivated to keep their dream of participating in Olympic Tokyo 2020. Two months back, the duo had won silver despite some tough times when their boat did not reach in time to the venue.
The duo managed all expenses on their own related to competitions and training outside India. Sailing is undoubtedly an expensive sport as the boat needs to be carried to distinct countries. The duo is thankful to those who support them with funding and are hopeful that someday Government would also offer all the required support.