Sania146;s not the only one setting high standards

It8217;s not the best of the times for an Indian sportswoman to be sitting smug at 18, content with doing the routine. Not when a fellow 18...

3 min readMumbaiSep 11, 2005 12:00 AM IST

It’s not the best of the times for an Indian sportswoman to be sitting smug at 18, content with doing the routine. Not when a fellow 18-year-old, powered by an audacious forehand, sets up a nice appointment with Maria Sharapova, while you simply watch. Or another — Joshna Chinappa — beams down at you from giant hoardings, having made it there on her squash exploits.

But Rohini Rau doesn’t wake up every morning wondering what she’s achieved at 18. She clinched her maiden national sailing women’s title recently at Hyderabad and, sailing in a combined fleet of 35, looked promising as she finished more than half of the nine races in the top 5.

Far from mulling over comparative career graphs with India’s illustrious teen-queens, though, Rohini is feeding off their confidence while she charts out Indian sailing’s success trail in her laser radial class, also a women’s solo event at the Olympics.

Emerging as one of the youngest national champions in sailing, and beating traditional favourites from Goa, Mumbai, Army and the Navy, Rohini also the reigning Asian champ in the double-seated 420 Class boats crewing for Pallavi Naik led the women’s race from start to finish at Hussain Sagar’s five-day event. This pretty young teen, like Sania or Joshna, stands quite tall at five-foot-seven and would hardly be faulted if she traded in her sporting gear for a career on the ramp. But she is far more mellow than her contemporaries — perhaps the therapeutic effect of the sea.

Rohini laughs off the comparison, saying, ‘‘I can’t afford to be fiery like them because it comes down to surviving with my partner Pallavi in the double-handled event. I am competitive always, but I’d better cooperate, otherwise we’ll end up in trouble in the high seas.’’ For someone who deals with — and revels in — two forces of nature as volatile as water and the winds, it would be understating the obvious that Rohini’s clincher is her absolute lack of fear.

‘‘I see this in most of the Indian sportswomen today— Anju, Sania or Joshna. They are very positive while competing internationally, and there are no limits now,’’ she says.

‘‘It takes one event to get over that ‘overwhelmed’-bit and I confess I was spooked seeing so many boats in my first race as a 14-year-old, but after that I’ve become fearless,’’ she adds.

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Hyderabad was where Rohini picked a dozen bruises and suffered her first and final bout of battered confidence, when her dinghy overturned in heavy rains during her maiden competition. ‘‘I called up home, and my mother consoled me and promised to send tickets. But my dad was adamant that I finish all my races, and after that I’ve never turned back,’’ Rohini recalls.

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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