‘Sailing is in my blood’

Tomasz Januszewski with his father Andrzej, who was a champion ice sailor in Poland

Tomasz Januszewski's first time on a sailboat was in Mrągowo, a historical region in Poland, which is also known for its lakes. His father, Andrzej, who was a champion in ice sailing, pushed a young Januszewski into the water. "Go for it," Januszewski remembers his words. "But, I wasn't scared at all. That exact moment, I knew what I wanted to become when I grow up," he recalls, over a call from Poland.

Januszewski comes from a family of sailors - grandfather Edmund and father Andrzej were ace ice sailors, brother Wojciech is a top windsurfer in the Polish youth fleet and is a kitesurfing instructor, uncle Janusz, who is now 87, is one of the oldest active sailors in the world; he only stopped sailing at 80, and Januszewski's aunt Teresa was a judge of sailing competitions until she passed away last year. "Everyone in my family is connected to sailing in one way or the other; so being a part of the sport was a simple choice. I knew right from the start this was going to be my way of living until the end. While I also went to the university, and studied geodesy engineering there, I prefer staying closer to the water. Initially, I began training in the lakes in my hometown of Mrągowo. But gradually, I practised in the Baltic Sea," Januszewski shares.

Januszewski with his fiancé Wiktoria Szmit, an Optimist coach, 420 top Polish sailor and recently, a kitesurfer

His first boat was an Optimist [one of the smallest sailing dinghys]. In 2002, he won almost all the competitions in Poland in his category. In 2003, he came in the fourth place in the World Champs in Las Palmas. "When I was 16, we went to Barcelona for a training camp. While gybing, the boom [pole] hit my head and I fell into the water. I lost consciousness and my crew and my lifejacket saved me from drowning. Everyone expected me to have brain damage, but we reached the hospital and everything looked fine. I don't think I've been so scared on the boat in my life," he remembers.

After 2016, for personal reasons, he bid adieu to an Olympic career and started working as a sailing coach instead. But it is one thing to coach people to elite performance. And it is another, especially harder, when you are the chief national coach of the Indian sailing team competing for the Olympics.

His aunt Teresa used to judge sailing competitions and was a club member in Charzykowy for 30 years

In a historic first for India, four sailors from the country will compete at this year's Olympics. While Vishnu Saravanan and the pair of Ganapathy Chengappa and Varun Thakkar made the cut for Tokyo at the Asian Qualifiers in Oman, Chennai-based Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics in the laser radial event in the Mussanah Open Championship, which is an Asian Olympic qualifying event. This is also the first time that India will compete in three sailing events in the Olympics. Januszewski, who has coached Kumanan, Chengappa and Thakkar, is proud.

"Nethra and I first began talking over WhatsApp last year during the lockdown. When I met her the first time in Oman just weeks before the qualifying event, we chatted. Soon, we started training. I mainly prepared her mentally and taught her the meteorological aspect of sailing. She had a different coach called Tamas Eszes when she was training for a year in Gran Canaria. The Hungary-born coach is a two-time Olympian, so she was in great hands. She already knew most of the work before she met me. Ian Warren helped coach Chengappa and Thakkar. So, I really would not like to take any credit for their qualification," Januszewski clarifies, adding that the moment he saw Kumanan, he knew she was going to make it to the Olympics. "As a coach, you just know your girl. She was without a doubt the best sailor, physically. She knows how much hard work needs to be done at the gym. Her weight is perfect, and she isn't missing anything. And that is how a true athlete should be."

Nethra Kumanan earned her spot at the Tokyo Olympics in the Laser Radial category after she led the 10-race series at the Mussanah Open Championship in Oman convincingly in April 2021. The sailor from Chennai races in the Laser Radial category, a small, dinghy-style boat that is sailed single-handedly. She is coached by Tomasz Januszewski. Pic courtesy/Facebook

Just days before a team briefing ahead of the Asian Olympic qualifiers, Januszewski found out that Kumanan didn't have much choice with the boat after she landed in Oman. "Since she arrived late, she didn't have a choice in boats. And I thought that was very unfair to her. So, I requested her teammate Ram Milan Yadav, to swap his sturdier, newer boat with her. We had to be serious regarding who had a better chance at qualifying, and Kumanan was the obvious one. Ram, one the other hand, showed team spirit. I am glad we have a great team," he adds.

Januszewski says that ever since he came to India, he has had a straight vision - to qualify the Indian team to the Olympics. "With a lot of hard work in the past one-and-a-half years, we have changed many things and made this into a promising system. We have realised that by training together and combining forces, there is great potential for Asian sailors to perform internationally. This region has amazing sailors and great ambition in the sailing fraternity. Until now, we were
lacking in equipment and international exposure. But, it is important to confront other strong nations. And, after Nethra's qualification, I can see more of that happening soon."

Januszewski's uncle, Janusz, is one of the oldest ice sailors in the world. He retired at the age of 80

After the Olympics, Januszewski plans on developing the Indian sailing scene further. The goal is to pass on as much experience as his crew can to newer sailors in India.