Windsurfing: 2023 PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup |12 October 2023
Kandasamy receiving a welcoming gift from Miss Hoffman of the SYA (Photo: Neil Sirame)
‘I could have finished first, but the wind was not in my favour,’ says Jules Kandasamy
Second overall in the U-15 boys’ junior category at the recently-held PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup, held in Alacati, Turkey, 14-year-old Praslinois surfboarder Jules Kandasamy said he could have easily finished first if only the wind condition was more favourable.
Kandasamy was speaking yesterday at the Seychelles International Airport following his arrival where, other than his family members, he was welcomed by principal secretary for Youth and Sports Ralph Jean-Louis, director for water sports Alain Alcindor and Chantal Hoffman of the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA).
Kandasamy, who was being accompanied by Jean-Marc Gardette, concluded the four-race regatta second overall following a first, a second, a third and ninth-place finish.
The young surfboarder said after finishing seventh overall last year, he has been training harder everyday for him to better his performance this year.
“I could have finished first, but the wind was not to my advantage,” said Kandasamy, adding that during his preparation, he focused on his start as instructed by his temporary coach Jean-Marc Gardette.
“Jean-Marc told me that if I start the race in front, no one would be able to catch up with me,” said Kandasamy, who added that with the winds constantly shifting, it made it difficult to execute his plans.
He explained that they were able to do only one race on the first day due to bad wind conditions.
“We did a heat and a final on the first day where I came out second, while the competition could not continue due to lack of wind,” said Kandasamy, adding that on the last day, the wind picked up, enabling him to do well in the remaining races.
Kandasamy said he believes there are more young talents in the discipline and they should have equal opportunities to compete in such events.
This, he said, is not for windsurfing only, but other sports disciplines as well.
He added that windsurfing keeps him away from bad influences and personally, he wishes to go further in the sport.
He said after a brief rest, he will be heading to the gym for some work-out, until the wind picks up.
“My message to other youths in sports is to never let anyone discourage them or pull them down, since anything is possible,” said Kandasamy, adding that even if they do not have any special talent, just keep pushing because it is only through hard training that they will be able to make it, while listening to their coaches.
He thanked his sponsors for making the trip possible at the last minute, sharing his achievement with them.
Gardette, who is temporarily mentoring Kandasamy, said after last year’s performance, they worked on his weaknesses where he has shown great improvement, enabling him to better his result.
He added that the wind was not in Kandasamy’s favour as it was light and the young windsurfer train mostly in strong wind conditions.
“We took him to Mauritius for a training camp prior to the event and we are satisfied with the result, while there is always room for improvement, and hopefully next year he can perform even better,” said Gardette.
He said the competition was at a high level and Kandasamy managed to beat a former European champion, but narrowly lost to Tycho Smits who is the American champion.
“This shows his level, and even if he competes in the U-15 category, he is close to the world-ranking level, and this is a very big achievement,” added Gardette, noting that Kandasamy is the first ever Seychellois surfboarder to win a medal at this level of competition.
“At the of age of 14 I just started windsurfing and him at that age, he is racing with us and has reached our level which indicates that he can go even further,” said Gardette, who added that one of Kandasamy’s strength is that he never gives up, while he always listens to his mentors, putting in practice what he learns.
“There are people who take time to learn something, but him, once you have explained something once, in just two days he is already doing it,” noted Gardette who further added that another strength of the young surfboarder is that he is a quick learner.
Gardette also explained that they will be focusing on gym work as it is off-season due to the shift from the south-east trade winds to the north-west monsoon.
He added that the next target for Kandasamy is the U-17 championship since he will not be eligible to compete in the U-15 category again next year.
“We thank President Ramkalawan for sponsoring him new equipment and I hope that with his results, the authorities have noticed his talents and potential and maybe provide more support as we know windsurfing is a costly sport,” concluded Gardette.
Neil Sirame
