Titanium Man who played the odds! Cdr Abhilash Tomy finishes second in Golden Globe Race — Journey, challenges and more

Commander Abhilash Tomy (retired) has been making headlines, and rightfully so! For those unaware, Tomy is one of the only two people who has completed the world’s toughest solo sailing race. The reason why his achievement is going viral, is not only because of the challenging race, but also how he has overcome his past trauma and injuries to be where he is today.

Abhilash Tomy: Titanium Man

In 2018, Commander Tomy participated in the same Golden Globe Race. His boat was caught in a violent storm in the Indian Ocean which sadly, injured him and left him with a broken spine. According to The Indian Express, the Commander went through a spine surgery the same year which involved fusing 5 vertebrae and inserting two titanium rods. Thereafter, he taught himself to walk and then sail! But instead of deterring his spirit, wining the Global Race became his life’s only mission. In January 2019, he quit the Indian Navy and started training yet again.

Golden Globe Race 2022: The competitors

The Golden Globe race is a non-stop around the world yacht race. The 2022 GG race was delayed by two months to ensure the ride was less stormy, as per an IE report. Ironically, five of the participants had finished the race in 2018, as against the three in 2023.

The race which started with 16 participants, saw the survival of only three sailors in the end, Abhilash being the second one to complete it. He finished the race in 236 days, 14 hours, 46 minutes, 34 seconds on April 29. South African Kirsten Neuschafer, who was the only woman in the race, finished first creating history! According to IE, she was also rewarded a 23 hour differential advantage after she rescued a fellow competitor.

Three of the participants had to retire after covering 70% of the way because of failure of their self steering mechanism which is prone to being smacked in a storm.