HANGZHOU: Hailing from a family of farmers from Madhya Pradesh and raised in humble surroundings, Neha Thakur put behind her financial struggles and hardships to secure her nascent career's biggest medal-a silver-in the girls' dinghy ILCA4 event at the Asian Games here on Tuesday.
Neha, 17, rode on high winds at the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Centre which provided better speed, control and comfort over her boat to sail past Singapore's Keira Marie Carlyle for a second-place finish. Thailand's Noppassorn Khunboonjan won the gold with relative ease.
While Neha had 27 net points from 11 races, Carlyle accumulated 28 points. Khunboonjan netted 16 points from her races. Lower scores of sailors are considered for awarding points in sailing.
Later, Eabad Ali bagged a creditable bronze in the men's windsurfer RS:X category after collecting 52 net points from 14 races. South Korea's Cho Wonwoo won the gold after netting 13 points. Thailand's Natthaphong Phonoppharat had 29 points.
Speaking about her win, Neha said, "It feels great to win a medal for your country, to fulfill your dream. The medal is not mine alone but for a lot of people who have contributed to make it possible. I have endured a lot of hardships, so this medal is a culmination of them all," said Neha, who hails from Amaltaj village in Dewas district of MP.
She started her career in swimming but was soon spotted by the coaches of the National Sailing School in Bhopal and was put up in a residential academy there. Neha's coach Narendra Singh Rajput said she has all the qualities to become a world-class sailor. "She is a fine sailor. She is disciplined, determined and dedicated. She has worked very hard to reach this position," he said.
Eabad said he was under pressure to log good points in the 14th and final race after failing to finish his three races. "I had no option but to do well in this race. I had to get top points, there was no other option for me but to do well."
He finished second in the final race and secured the bronze. Olympians Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy narrowly missed a medal in the men's skiff 49er category after finishing fourth. China, Oman and Hong Kong finished on the podium in the event.
