Sailing: 'NRI Vishnu' delighted to be home and Olympics-qualified

Vishnu Saravanan (extreme left) with his mother Rajeshwari, father Ramachandran and sister Ramya at the Mumbai airport.

Vishnu Saravanan, 22, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the Laser Standard Class, says sailing has given him the rank which his father, Ramachandran Saravanan, who retired as a Subedar in the Indian Army, had after serving the nation for more than 30 years.

The Mumbai sailor joined the Army Yachting Node (AYN) as Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) when he was just 17 as part of the Indian Army's Mission Olympics. Vishnu takes pride in that he is able to fulfil his father's dream of representing India at the Olympics. "My father is my first coach and it was his dream to represent India at the Olympics. But due to physical and other reasons, he was unable to do so. What I am today is because of him. He sacrificed everything to ensure me and my sister [Ramya] could take up sailing professionally. He spent all his savings and earnings to ensure we were able to get the right training. He could have bought a home with the savings, but he spent it all on us. The personal dream for me is to be able to buy a home for my mother [Rajeshwari] in Mumbai. It's so strange but I have the same rank as him [dad] . And I achieved it at an early age because of sailing," Saravanan, who trains under Alexandr Denisiuc at the Sail Coach foundation in the Republic of Malta since 2017, told mid-day.com.

Vishnu Saravanan at the Asian and Africa Olympic Qualifier (April 1-8) event at Mussanah, Oman recently.

The young sailor landed in India recently from Oman, where he sealed the Olympic berth at the Asian and Africa Olympic Qualifier (April 1-8) at Mussanah, Oman.

He travelled to six countries, undergoing 16 COVID-19 tests in the last six months and innumerable quarantines.

He cannot wait for the current quarantine to get over. "The last time I saw my parents was in 2020 when I had come to India. It's been more than a year since I had not seen them. My near and dear ones call me NRI Vishnu as I am never home. I was so excited to meet my parents at the airport, but the hour that I spent was during the travel from the airport to the AYN. I cannot wait for the quarantine to get over so that I can enjoy my two-week break with my parents at home," said Saravanan, who is doing his BCom from Mumbai University.

Vishnu Saravanan being welcomed by the officials of the Army Yachting Node (AYN) at the Mumbai airport.

Meanwhile, Saravanan recalled how his father cried over the phone when he called to inform him about his qualification. "When I called him from Oman to tell him about my qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, I heard him cry. It was an emotional moment for me. I have never seen him show many emotions in my entire life, but that one [conversations] will always remain special to me," remarked Saravanan.

Coming back to expectations, Saravanan explained that he wants to set realistic goals for the Tokyo Games. "A medal in sailing is not easy, but miracles do happen like how I qualified for the Olympics. But it's good to be realistic. For now, a Top-10 finish is what I am looking for in Tokyo, anything above it, will be a bonus," said Saravanan, whose sporting idol is Michael Jordan. No wonder he is spending time in quarantine watching the basketball star's documentary, The Last Dance.