Saravanan sets sights on Olympic return in Paris

Vishnu Saravanan's first taste of the Olympic waters in Marseille proved more than enough to whet the appetite for a potential return in 12 months as he looks to continue putting sailing on the map back home. Saravanan, one of four Indian sailors to compete at Tokyo 2020, sits 29th in the ILCA 7 standings after the opening day of the Olympic Test Event on the Mediterranean coast, his cause not helped by a yellow flag at the start of race two. Ad The 24-year-old will hope for an upturn in fortunes as the week goes on as he continues to build towards the upcoming World Championships, where vital Paris 2024 quota places will be up for grabs.

SailingBouwmeester makes strong start to Olympic Test Event3 HOURS AGO «It was really nice to sail here on Olympic waters,» he said. «I'm excited to do something special but at the same time you have to be in the moment and this was one of those situations as the wind was all over the place. »The World Championships will see a lot more boats from the same nations and the quality will be really high.

«It will be tough to put the small fleet tactics into big fleet tactics but you have to believe in your speed and go through proper preparations. »I have been doing well in my preparations and hopefully that pays off at The Hague. My goal is to be in the top 16 nations, the criteria to qualify for Paris 2024 — hopefully I do that on the first go so I don't have more pressure on the other qualification events.

«It [qualifying] would be really nice, I get goosebumps whenever I think about it. »I just have to trust the process, be in the moment, that's the most important thing you can do. You just have to sail your waves and not let anything take over your thoughts." Saravanan was introduced to