Chennai lad Vishnu Sujeesh saw off a late challenge by Dheer Singh to clinch the first ever Topper Nationals in Hyderabad on Thursday. Vishnu, who till Wednesday seemed to have rendered the competition unworthy, was pushed to the limits by Dheer.
Dheer won Race Seven, Race Eight to turn an otherwise one-man show on its head.
In the deciding Race Nine, Dheer and Vishnu was locked in an neck-to-neck contest that could have gone either ways. In the final stretch, Vishnu found just enough wind in his sail to edge past Dheer, thereby becoming the country’s first Topper National champion. Hyderabad lad Ragi Rajnikanth clinched the bronze medal in the Gold Fleet, a respectable result in his maiden outing in the category.
In the Silver Fleet — second tier competition of the Topper Nationals — Ashwin Murli won the gold medal. S. Praveen Kumar settled for the silver while Ashwini Rane took home the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, Avanti Menon was adjudged the Best Female Sailor in the Topper category. Avanti had finished fourth in the Gold Fleet, just behind Rajnikanth.