Telangana sailors win four medals in Asian Games trials
HYDERABAD: Telangana sailors continued their strong showing on the national circuit, winning four medals at the first selection trials for the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Nagoya, Japan. The trials were conducted in Mumbai.
Eight sailors from Telangana trained in Mumbai for 45 days and returned with one gold, two silver and one bronze medal. This edition of the Asian Games has, for the first time, introduced a junior category. The Yacht Club of Hyderabad fielded four entries one in the senior category and three in the under 18 section, head coach Sueheim Sheikh said.
Focus on junior categories pays off
The Yacht Club of Hyderabad has launched an intensive skiff training programme at Hussain Sagar, procured several boats and skiffs, and brought in international coaches to strengthen its high performance setup. These efforts resulted in the medal haul, Sheikh added.
Lahiri Komaravelly, Hyderabad’s under 15 sub junior national champion, skipped the Oman International Regatta to train on 29er skiffs. She won gold in the first trials with crew Eswa Suragani Goud.
Her sister Deekshita Komaravelly, sailing with crew Abdul Raheem of Parsi School, Secunderabad, won silver, finishing just 0.44 points behind gold medallist Ekalavya Batham of Bhopal.
Senior sailors impress against experienced rivals
In the senior skiff class, Thanuja Kameshwar and crew Dharani Laveti secured silver and frequently outperformed more experienced sailor Harshita Tomar of the Indian Navy across several legs. The duo recently moved to the 49er FX class and held their own against top sailors, including Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma, Sheikh said.
Deekshita Komaravelly is a student of Kallam Anji Reddy School, while Lahiri Komaravelly studies at Udbhav School, Rasoolpura.
Two sailors Eswa Suragani Goud of Motakondur School, Suryapet, and Arvind Mahlot of Dharamaram School, Kamareddy were selected by the Yacht Club of Hyderabad from among 100 students of Mahatma Jyotibai Phule Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Schools, said B Saidulu, secretary of the welfare society.
Eswa and Arvind joined the Yacht Club of Hyderabad seven months ago and trained at Hussain Sagar and Mandva in Mumbai. Eswa won gold in the first trials, while Arvind secured bronze. While Arvind has some distance to cover, Eswa remains firmly placed in the selection race under skipper Lahiri Komaravelly.
With two more trials scheduled in Mumbai in January and February 2026, the Telangana sailors will next compete at the India International Regatta in Chennai. They are also training at the Sucharita Academy to improve fitness and strength under coach Sivaprasad.
“We could have done slightly better, but we will go back to the drawing board and work harder to secure Asian Games selection,” said Sueheim Sheikh, who is also director of high performance and president of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad.
Final standings (Telangana sailors):
Gold: Lahiri Komaravelly (skipper) and Eswa Suragani Goud (crew) – 1 point
Silver: Deekshita Komaravelly (skipper) and Abdul Raheem (crew) – 2 points
Silver: Thanuja Kameshwar (skipper) and Dharani Laveti (crew) – 2 points
Bronze: Vinod Dandu (skipper) and Arvind Mahlot (crew) – 3 points
