Nethra Kumanan Reveals Route to Asian Games Bronze

Nethra Kumanan has revealed how a final-race victory, rapid calculations and an unexpected mishap involving her coach culminated in an Asian Games bronze medal at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbour in Aichi. Competing at her fourth Asian Games, Kumanan secured a place on the podium after a dramatic final day in which she had to win and rely on the results behind her.

After crossing the finish line in her final race, Kumanan looked towards the harbour for her coach, hoping for an indication of whether her performance had been enough. She could not spot him because he had fallen into the water. “It turns out my coach had fallen into the water for an involuntary swim,” Kumanan said with a chuckle.

On returning to the harbour, Indian spectators told her that she had won bronze. Kumanan initially needed confirmation, asking whether they were sure. The result marked a breakthrough after previous Asian Games finishes of seventh in 2014, fifth in 2018 and fourth at Hangzhou in 2023.

A final race with no margin for error

Kumanan began the closing day in second place, but the first of the two final series races became her worst race in Japan. That result left her needing to win Final 2 and to have results elsewhere fall in her favour if she was to reach the podium.

“It was quite an emotional day,” she said. “I knew I had no choice but to win the final race and hope that the results behind me put me on the podium.”

She and her team worked through the scenario quickly. “We did some quick calculations and I knew I had to put a boat between Singapore and I to win a medal,” she added.

Kumanan delivered the victory she required in Final 2. Singapore finished second, while Kumanan ended level on points with the fourth-placed Hong Kong competitor. Her greater number of second-place finishes across the ten prior races decided the tie in her favour and secured bronze.

The closing-day response also reflected a lesson she said she had taken from her coach. “My coach told me to race without being so conservative, which was a big lesson I learned at the Asian Games,” Kumanan said.

Her path to that moment began with a summer camp at her local club in 2011 or 2012. Her parents arranged the camp, and within a week she had persuaded her brother to join her. The pair soon spent full weekends on the water. By 2014, while still in school, she had qualified for the Asian Games. She left school to take up what she and her family considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She later trained for a year in Israel, competing in youth and senior fleets, after her parents backed the assessment that she had potential. In 2019, Kumanan moved to Gran Canaria, Spain, for training. She said that living away from home created uncertainty around her identity and added to the pressure she felt to justify her family’s sacrifices.

Lessons from Hangzhou and a medal that matters

Kumanan’s fourth-place finish at Hangzhou remained a difficult memory. She had been in position for bronze on the final day, but the medal race was abandoned twice because of a lack of wind. She said the experience also taught her that she had put too much pressure on herself rather than sailing freely.

Support from GoSports Foundation, including access to a sports psychologist and a structured training regime, has helped ease some of that burden. She has also received support through the SAI TOPS scheme and from SDAT, while describing financial support for European training as vital for a civilian athlete.

Bronze brings both satisfaction and an acknowledgement that she had entered capable of more. Still, she stressed the value of finally converting years of effort into a medal. “A medal is a medal, and I’m happy to bring something home,” she said.

Kumanan hopes the result can encourage more participation in sailing, particularly among women, and said she intends to continue building from this campaign. “This is just the start for me, and I plan to build on this and keep going,” she said.