Harish Muthu and Kishore Kumar Shine at Asian Surfing Championships 2024 in Maldives
Harish Muthu and Kishore Kumar created history by progressing to the quarterfinals of the Asian Surfing Championships 2024 in the men’s open and U-18 categories respectively. The competition, a qualifier for the Asian Games 2026, is being held at Thulusdhoo in Maldives.
Harish, from Tamil Nadu, faced a stiff challenge in the quarterfinals from Joi Satriawan of Indonesia and Kaisei Adachi of Japan, finishing third with a score of 6.76. Earlier, he finished second in Heat 1 of Round 3 with a score of 8.43, qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Indian child prodigy, Kishore Kumar, booked his quarterfinal spot in the U-18 category by achieving a score of 14.33, the highest by any surfer in Round 3. He scored 6.83 and 7.5 in two waves to finish on top of Heat 2 of Round 3.
Harish expressed pride in his performance, stating, “I am proud of my performance in the Championships even though I could not make it into the semis. This was a great experience for me to compete amongst the top-ranked Asian surfers and I have learned a lot from this competition.”
Arun Vasu, President of the Surfing Federation of India, shared his excitement, “It is exhilarating to see these young Indian surfers not just compete but dominate on the international stage. They have been relentless in their pursuit of excellence, and their hard work is paying off. These moments are the culmination of countless hours of training, and they are sending a powerful message to the world.”
He added, “India is here to compete at the highest levels. As a Federation, we have poured our efforts into nurturing this talent, fostering their competitiveness through year-round competitions. Our ultimate goal is to bring medals home to India through surfing. What is even more inspiring is that every one of these surfers comes from the fishing communities of Tamil Nadu, proving that with passion and dedication, the sky is the limit.”
Doubts Revealed
Asian Surfing Championships -: This is a big competition where people from different countries in Asia come together to show their surfing skills.
Maldives -: The Maldives is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, known for its beautiful beaches and clear blue water.
Tamil Nadu -: Tamil Nadu is a state in the southern part of India. It is known for its rich culture and history.
U-18 category -: This means ‘Under 18’ category, which is a group for surfers who are younger than 18 years old.
Arun Vasu -: Arun Vasu is the President of the Surfing Federation of India, which is an organization that supports and promotes surfing in India.
Surfing Federation of India -: This is a group that helps surfers in India by organizing events and providing support to improve their skills.
child prodigy -: A child prodigy is a young person who is very talented or skilled at something, much more than other kids their age.
