14-year-old Malayali boy to compete against 77 nations in Optimist Sailing World Championship

KOCHI: A 14-year-old Malayali boy, Aldrin Antony, is competing against 293 sailors from 77 countries in an international sailing championship. He is racing in the rough sea off Tangier, Morocco, successfully handling strong winds and challenging weather conditions in his sailboat.

Aldrin is a Class 10 student at the Indian Army’s KV MEG Centre in Bengaluru. He is representing India in the Optimist World Championship. The competition for sailors under the age of 16 lasts four days, and the final will be held this Sunday. His family and the Indian Army are hopeful that he will win gold.

He is the elder son of Antony and Libi from a fishing family in Azhikode, Kodungallur. His guide is Prince Noble, a relative and an Indian sailing player. His early training was under Nijish, a Malayali Army coach.

In just two years, Aldrin surprised his coaches by winning several medals. His performances in Pune, Shillong, Mumbai, and Chennai helped him qualify for the international competition organised by the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA). His siblings are Andrea Maria and Aiden Antony.

Optimist sailing competition
The competition features around 80 boats racing at the same time, divided into groups. The boats must be sailed along a trapezoid-shaped course using wind power. The event follows a low-point scoring system, where the competitor with the fewest points wins. Each race lasts about 50 minutes, covering a distance of 5.5 km to 7.4 km.

The race is held in difficult conditions due to strong winds and powerful currents at the strait where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet, making the competition highly challenging.