Hyderabad, July 25: He may be on a trip to India after many years (the last one being to Goa) but the Yachting Association of India’s newly appointed coach of the sailing team — Peter Conway —is all praise for the facilities at the Hussainsagar here. “The infrastructure that you have here is fit to host international standard competitions and I am sure it will be fulfilled soon,” he says.
Not just the waters, the Englishman is also beginning to embrace the country’s culture. “I was more than happy to be part of the Indian team which is making waves in sailing at the moment. I am also smitten by the rich culture that India possesses,” the coach says.
Speaking about India’s chances at the upcoming Asian Games in China, Peter says, “I observed the Indian sailors at the recently held Laser World Championships in Scotland and was highly impressed by Rajesh Choudhary’s show. He is one to watch out for in the upcoming Asian Games. In terms of talent, India is second to none and I am sure the prospects of India bagging a medal at the Asian Games that will be held in China are quite high.”
Speaking on the next big step for Indian sailors, Peter says, “Educating the sailors and coaches is going to be an important,” before adding, “Knowhow of the weather conditions, studying the opponents carefully and adapting to newer conditions at the quickest possible time will be the next challenge. The moment you master the art of reading the conditions, your job becomes that much more simpler.”
He goes on to give the example Rajesh at the ongoing sailing championships. “If you look at him sailing, technically he is very strong and is vastly experienced. Also, he is achieved immense success not just in India but abroad too. He reads the conditions well and is extremely focussed on his job,” the Brit says.
Asked on the countries to watch out for in sailing, Peter says, “Most of the Asian countries have picked steam in the last few years but the European countries are proving their mettle consistently on the world stage.”
The new coach will have his task cut out as the race for the Asian sailing supremacy has already commenced.