At just 14 years old, Shreya Krishna Lakshminarayanan has become one of India’s most exciting youth athletes across any sport not on a track or court, but on the open sea.
Her Bronze medal at the Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship 2025 in Oman, where she also placed ninth overall among 170 sailors, has confirmed what those inside sailing circles have known for a while: India has a world-class sailor in the making. Her journey, built on relentless consistency and global exposure, is redefining what’s possible for Indian youth sailors in one of the world’s most technically demanding sports.
Since October 2023, Shreya has amassed an extraordinary nine international podium finishes, including four Gold medals and two Bronze medals across Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Her record speaks to both her endurance and adaptability across vastly different conditions from the thermal winds of Oman to the heavy air of Italy’s Lake Garda.
Her 2025 season reads like a global tour of excellence:
- Gold – Girls’ Category, Langkawi International Regatta (Malaysia) – 4th Overall
- Gold – Girls’ Category, Musannah Racing Week (Oman) – 8th Overall
- Gold – Girls’ Category, Australian Optimist Nationals (Brisbane)
- Bronze – Trofeo Simone Lombardi Regatta (Italy) – one of Europe’s toughest youth sailing events
- Bronze – Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship (OAAOC) – 9th overall out of 170 sailors
Each event showcases a distinct environment, culture, and tactical challenge and Shreya has not only adapted but thrived. Her results place her among the top 5% of the global IODA fleet, confirming her as one of the leading youth sailors in Asia and beyond.
Bronze in Oman: A Medal That Meant More
The OAAOC 2025, hosted by Oman Sail and the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA), is among the most prestigious youth regattas in the world. The event featured over 170 sailors from 25 countries, including powerhouses such as Singapore, Argentina, China, and the USA many of whom are part of full-time, state-funded sailing programs.
To finish ninth overall in such a field is exceptional; it means Shreya consistently held her own in the elite Gold Fleet, a category reserved for the top performers after multiple qualifying rounds.
Her Bronze medal in the Girls’ division was the visible reward, but her overall placement ahead of dozens of male sailors is what experts see as the true indicator of her rising stature. Competing against the world’s best, she demonstrated not just technical precision but psychological composure under variable wind and wave conditions.
Shreya’s strength lies in her ability to translate global experiences into performance. Her success is rooted in years of meticulous training, starting from the Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC) and later the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association (TNSA). Her development was guided by some of India’s finest mentors Zephra Currimbhoy, Chinna Reddy, and international coaches like Italy’s Simone Ricci, who honed her adaptability in heavy-air European conditions.
Exposure to varied waters has shaped her tactical maturity. Whether it’s reading shifts in Mediterranean gusts or adapting to light tropical breezes, Shreya’s learning agility sets her apart. Her ability to replicate high-level technical skills in unfamiliar environments is the hallmark of an elite sailor. The payoff came in Europe, where she earned a Bronze medal at the Trofeo Simone Lombardi Regatta, her first major European podium. Competing against athletes from sailing powerhouses like Spain, Italy, and France, she proved that Indian sailors can now compete shoulder-to-shoulder with the sport’s traditional giants.
Behind every successful athlete lies a support system, and for Shreya, that foundation is her family. Her parents a Chartered Accountant father and a doctor mother have self-funded her campaign across continents, covering travel, training, and equipment costs that would challenge even professional teams. Their unwavering commitment has sustained her rise, but as her career progresses, the need for institutional and corporate support becomes urgent. Sailing at this level demands a professionally managed program international camps, specialized equipment, and fitness training which cannot rely solely on personal investment.
The family’s dedication recently earned public recognition when she was felicitated by Udhayanidhi Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu a moment symbolizing the growing visibility of sailing within India’s sports ecosystem.
Crossing the Next Horizon: The ILCA Transition
As Shreya approaches the upper age limit for the Optimist class (restricted to sailors under 15), her next challenge looms: transitioning to the ILCA 4 dinghy, a faster and more physically demanding Olympic pathway class.
This transition is often where many youth sailors struggle, but Shreya’s technical base and disciplined preparation give her an edge. Her plan involves a dual-training phase through late 2025, allowing her to compete in her final Optimist events including the Regatta of Champions in Cyprus while beginning ILCA training. The long-term roadmap is clear: rapid adaptation to ILCA 4 in 2026, progression to ILCA 6 (the Olympic-standard Radial) by 2028, and a targeted run at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, where her familiarity with Australian waters may prove prophetic she already won Gold there at the 2025 Australian Nationals.
In a sport often dominated by athletes from Europe and Oceania, Shreya’s emergence signals the growing footprint of Indian sailing on the world stage. Her success is not just personal; it represents the maturation of India’s youth sailing infrastructure, especially in Tamil Nadu, where clubs like TNSA and RMYC have built pathways for talent to reach global waters.
At 14, Shreya has already achieved what few Indian sailors ever have podium finishes across continents, top-10 global rankings, and a clear Olympic vision. The sea has always been an unpredictable arena, but one thing feels certain: Shreya Krishna Lakshminarayanan is charting India’s course toward sailing greatness.
