Hyderabad: Two sailors from Telangana, Alekhya Coondoo and Pilli Akhil, have been selected to represent India in the upcoming 420 Class World Sailing Championship.
The championship is scheduled to be held in Spain’s Alicante, from July 21 to 29.
The 420 is an international class recognized by World Sailing and its name refers to the boat’s length of 420 centimeters.
By representing the country in three international tournaments and qualifying for this World Championship, Alekhya, a 12-standard student from HPS Ramanthapur and Akhil, an 11-standard student from Khammam, have formed a formidable team over a year.
Their team is the only team from India to compete in the prestigious event and also the first pair to make the cut in four years.
This duo from Telangana will be plying their trade with 126 sailors from across the world for the top honours.
Alekhya and Akhil have qualified for their maiden international event after winning three national ranking events held in Mysore, Marve Mumbai and Shillong.
They are being trained by coaches Arjun Pradeepak and Sanjeev Chauhan.
The duo will undergo a training camp for a week in Spain under the guidance of Jose Ruiz Sanchez, a professional sailor and 420 World Champion.
Alekhya’s school HPS Ramanthapur, through its alumni, raised Rs 7 lakh to support her.
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