The three-day premiere surfing competition under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India was hosted by the Mantra Surf Club at the tranquil Panambur Beach in Mangalore, the organisers informed in a release on Sunday.
In a nail-biting finish, Karnataka’s Ramesh Budhial snatched victory from the grasp of Tamil Nadu’s Ajeesh Ali to be crowned as the new national champion in the Men’s Open Surf category on the final day of the 3rd Indian Open of Surfing on Sunday.
Sugar Banarse and Sofiya Sharma too were crowned the national champions in the Women’s Open and groms girls (16 & under) categories respectively, while Tamil Nadu’s Kishore Kumar became the national champion in the groms boys (16 & under) category.
The three-day premiere surfing competition under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India was hosted by the Mantra Surf Club at the tranquil Panambur Beach in Mangalore, the organisers informed in a release on Sunday.
Speaking after the tournament, Arun Vasu, President, Surfing Federation of India, said, “I am very impressed with the quality of surfers that whom we are watching compete here at Mangalore. With the LA Olympics insight, we are working hard to identify young and upcoming surfers and the quality and skill at display today only gives me the confidence to keep believing in our objectives. I would like to thank all the surfers who participated in this tournament and congratulate the winners for showcasing some great surfing.”
Ramesh finished with a total score of 16.33, while runner-up Ajeesh Ali finished with 15.67 points. Sathish Sarvanan was third with 13 points.
The women’s open surf competition saw Goa’s 16-year-old Sugar Banarse walk away with the national championship crown from Tamil Nadu surfer and defending champion Srishti Selvam. Sugar, who had initially registered for the groms girls 16 & under category, was brave enough to take the chance of competing in the women’s open category and impressed everyone with her skills and surfing from the start. Sugar scored a total of 14.50 points while runner-up Srishti Selvam earned 13.40 points. Karnataka’s Sinchana Gowda finished third with 10.20 points.
news18.com/29.05.22