Rasoolpura boy wins Hyderabad's first gold medal in yachting after 25 years

HYDERABAD: Twelve-year-old Hyderabadi Leela Sagar has won Telangana its first gold medal in Sub Junior National Yachting Championship, held in Madhya Pradesh recently.
Twelve-year-old Leela Sagar looks like any other school boy — shy and serious. And there's nothing in his demeanour that belies the fact that he won the gold medal at the National Yachting Championship.Nagesh Boorugu was the last Hyderabadi to have won a gold medal in the national championship back in 1988.
Sagar won six out of 12 races during the Sub Junior National Championship, held this January in Upper Lake at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.Sailing from the age of nine, he is the reigning junior national champion. He also bagged the under-12 trophy , at the same event.
It all began three years ago, when he went to watch yacht ing at Hussainsagar. He liked it so much that he decided to learn the sport. "I learnt sailing in just two days," he proclaims proudly , adding, "I practice every day under the guidance of my coach." He won his first medal in July 2013 at a city-based regatta competition. And after that, there has been no looking back.
Sagar, who studies in Class VIII at a school in Rasoolpura, lost his father at the age of five and was brought up by his mother. But he credits his success to coach Suheim Sheikh, of a city yacht club."Suheim sir has taught me so much. He was the one who spotted me and was impressed by my passion for sailing. I learnt a lot under his guidance."
His coach Suheim, is a proud man. "Sagar has brought the first National Trophy of Yachting to Telangana," beams Suheim.
Sagar aspires to make it big, internationally . He is already preparing for Asian Games, 2018. "I dream of sailing all the time. It is my passion. But I know I have a long way to go," he says.
Sagar admits that he doesn't have too many friends. But it doesn't affect him too much because, "Yachts are my closest friends. I love sailing."
Apart from this passion, the 12-year-old also loves reading lores of kings and queens and is quite fond of learning English. "Earlier, I wasn't very fluent in it, but I learnt the language within two years. Most of what I know is from reading story books," he smiles.