The pupils had outdone their pedagogues! Kaushal Kumar Yadav and Girish Mailapravan, with 21 points, eclipsed their mentors Kalaga Yakobu and Rajeev Kumar (28) to clinch the crown in the Inland National Hobie championships that concluded at the Hussain Sagar on Wednesday.
With this triumph, the successful pairs made it a one-two for the Artillery Water Sports Association (AWSA), also the host.
Kaushal and Girish proved a ‘golden combination’ during the Visakhapatnam Coastal Nationals and last year the pair finished third at this very venue.
'Our self-belief was strong, said Kaushal. .
'Havaldhar Girish Rao coached us from 2003 to mid-2012 and Yakobu has been guiding us since then,' said the native of Ahiravali village in UP’s Ballia district.
'It was smooth sailing,' said Girish, who felt low winds on the opening day had hampered their cause somewhat.
While Yakobu and Rajeev led the regatta’s concluding race from start to finish, Imolemnok and Shekhar Singh Yadav, lying fifth initially in the penultimate round, worked their way up from the second upwind leg.
Their strength on the beats being evident, the Mumbai duet was on song when moving to the fore and refusing to let go of their place in the front.
The overall standings & results: 1. Kaushal Kumar Yadav & M. Girish 21 points (AWSA) 2. K. Yakobu & Rajeev Kumar 28 (AWSA) 3. Imolemnok & Shekhar Singh Yadav 37 (INWTC, Mumbai) 4. Samal Pradhan & Rahul Rai 40 (INWTC, Mumbai) 5. Brijraj Varma & Pankaj Kumar 48 (INWTC, M) 6. Pawan Kumar & Sukhen Sur 54 (AYN) 7. Kamlesh Patel & U.B. Rawankar 58 (AYN) 8. Sandeep Jain & D. Chandra Shekhar 62 (AYN).
Race 11: 1. Imolemnok & S.S. Yadav 2. Kamlesh Patel & U.B. Rawankar (AYN) 3. Brijraj Verma & Pankaj Kumar.
Race 12: 1. K. Yakobu & Rajeev Kumar 2. Pawan Kumar & Sukhen Sur 3. Kaushal Kumar & M. Girish.