The sea and wind runs through their blood and in their hair. Katya Coelho often watched her father Donald windsurf at national competitions and quickly followed his footsteps into the water at the age of 11. Her passion and skills for the sport took her across different seas winning many first titles in her life. She was the first female windsurfer to compete in the youth Olympics in 2014 and the first Indian surfer to represent the country at the Asian Games 2018.
Recently, Coelho won the gold medal at the Asian Games iQfoiler qualifier in Mumbai. This makes her the first female iQfoiler to represent India at the upcoming Asian Games in China. She said, “It is an honour to represent India yet again. I learnt a lot from the trials. Every competition is different and enhances our performance, you learn the most when you race. The conditions in Mumbai were rather tricky, but the three trials have helped me judge the wind better. I learnt how to almost perfect my starts and that’s what I’ll be trying to do at the games for sure.”
With this achievement, Coelho intends to surf on new tides and win more medals for the nation. “I always believe in planning and working towards achieving greater heights for not just myself but for my country. My dream is to represent India at the Olympics and to be the best female windsurfer.”
After she switched from windsurfing to windfoiling, she has been in love with the sport even more, especially of the fact that equipment glides faster on water. “It gives me the feeling of Formula 1 racing,” expressed Coelho. But flying across the waves is not without its challenges.
Coelho emphasises, “Windsurfing is a challenging sport. We need to wear a helmet and impact vest while at sea.” She shares that sometimes the gar- bage in the water hinders surfing and because of the High speeds, could pose a danger to their lives.
Read the full article in ‘Viva Goa’ magazine copy.
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