Tamil Nadu Surfers Dominate at the 5th Indian Open of Surfing 2024

Mangaluru: The 5th Indian Open of Surfing (IOS) 2024 concluded on a high note at Munda beach in Sasihitlu, Mulky, with Tamil Nadu surfers Ajeesh Ali and Kamali Moorthy being crowned champions in the men’s and women’s events, respectively.

The three-day surfing extravaganza, organized by the Surfing Swami Foundation and hosted by the Mantra Surf Club, saw both Ajeesh and Kamali sweep top honours in all four categories, including Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Groms Boys and U-16, and Groms Girls and U-16. The tournament is recognized as the official national championship of the Surfing Federation of India, the governing body for surfing and stand-up paddling.

Ajeesh Ali, who competed in the Paris Olympics qualifiers (2023 ISA World Surfing Games, El Salvador) last year, was crowned the new IOS champion in the Men’s Open category. Teen sensation Kamali Moorthi successfully defended her titles by winning both the Women’s Open and Groms Girls & U-16 categories. Another Tamil Nadu teenager, Tayin Arun, was crowned the new IOS champion in the Groms Boys and U-16 categories.

The final day’s action began with the semi-finals of the Groms 16 and Under Boys category. Local favourite Pradeep Pujar led the pack with a score of 8.80, advancing to the finals alongside Prahlad Sriram (8.50), Harish P (8.26), and Tayin Arun (6.76).

Dylan Amar, a top judge of surfing events from Indonesia, praised the venue (Munda Beach in Sasihitlu village) for its right conditions and potential to emerge as a highly competitive surfing destination. Over the three days, the athletes put on an impressive show, raising hopes for Indian surfers to make it to the Olympics.

Tayin Arun won his first title at IOS with a score of 10.17, while Harish P (8.40) and Prahlad Sriram (7.47) finished second and third, respectively. Mantra Surf Club’s Pradeep Pujar finished fourth with a score of 5.34.

The highlight event of the day was the Men’s Open Surfing final, featuring the top-seeded surfers from across the country. Ajeesh Ali, who represented India at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador, walked away with the championship title with the highest score of the day (14.70). Srikanth D (12.57) and Sanjaikumar S (11.10) took the runner-up and second runner-up titles, respectively, while Sanjay Selvamani came in fourth with a score of 6.17.

In the Women’s Open, Kamali scored 12.40 in the finals, narrowly edging out 2022 champion Sugar Banarse from Goa, who scored 12.23 and finished as the runner-up by just 0.17 points. Neha Vaid from Mumbai came in third with a score of 2.97. (eom)

Dr. Venkata Ramana Akkaraju, Chairman of the New Mangalore Port Authority, and Mr. Dhananjaya Shetty, Director of the Surfing Swami Foundation, awarded the winners with cash prizes, trophies, and certificates.