Mangalore (ANI): Tamil Nadu’s teenage sensations Kishore Kumar and Kamali Moorthy swept the top honours in both the men’s and women’s categories viz: Groms and Open to be crowned as the Men’s and Women’s champion respectively in the 4th edition of Indian Open of Surfing.

After winning titles in their categories (Boy and Girl Groms), they also punched their weight above everyone with their scintillating performances to win the Open Men and Women categories to be crowned as the champions. The three-day premier surfing competition of India which was hosted by Mantra Surf Club at Sashithlu Beach, Mangalore, Karnataka is the official national championship of the Surfing Federation of India and is also recognized by the International Surfing Association.

The event has got major support from Karnataka Tourism for the fourth time in a row.

Kishore walked away with a cash prize of 50,000 INR, followed by Srikanth D, 30,000 INR and Surya P, 20,000 INR in Men’s Open category. Kamali was handed over the cheque of 30,000 INR for securing first position in the Women’s Open category followed by Sugar 20,000 INR and Sinchana, 10,000 INR for second and third position respectively. In Groms boys 16 & under category, Kishore (20,000 INR); Tayin Arun (15,000 INR) and Harish P (10, 000 INR) got the cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. Groms girls 16 & under category saw Kamali, Thanishka and Saanvi winning cash prizes of 20,000; 15,000 & 10,000 respectively.

“I would like to congratulate all the surfers who participated in Indian Open of Surfing and displayed some best surfing even in the stiff and challenging conditions. The Federation has had a good start with this championship and we are committed to delivering such top-class championships in the season. We are also thankful to the sponsors who unconditionally supported us in the successful conduct of this event”, said, Ram Mohan Paranjape, Vice President, Surfing Federation of India and Partner, Mantra Surf Club as quoted by an SFI release.

The day began with the semifinals of the men’s open surf category which saw Tamil Nadu’s teenager Kishore Kumar maneuvering majestically on waters, thereby advancing to the finals with the highest score of 14.00 in the category and was joined by the home state surfers, Srikanth D (11.66), Surya P (11.0) and Sathish Saravanan (7.93).

From there, Kishore never looked back as the finals of the men’s open surf category were a treat to watch where the young land Kishore competed against more experienced surfers and emerged as a champion with a 15.67 score in the finals while runner-up Srikanth D earned 12.90 followed by Surya P (9.14).

In the Surfing Groms 16 & Under Boys category with 15.07 points, Kishore Kumar was successfully able to retain the title from the last edition. Tamil Nadu’s Tayin Arun & Harish P finished as the runner’s up & the third position with a total of 8.97 & 6.27 points respectively.

Speaking after winning the double title, Kishore said, “I would like to thank my coaches at Surf Turf for all the support that I have received from them. I am very happy to win two titles in a day and these wins will surely uplift my confidence to perform well in the upcoming championships and events.”

The surfing women’s open competition saw 14-year-old Tamil Nadu’s Kamali Moorthy snatching the title from Goa’s surfer and defending champion Sugar Shanthi Banarse. Kamali who had initially registered for the Surfing Groms 16 & Under Girls 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. She scored a total of 12.07 points while runner’s up Sugar Banarse earned 10.40 points. Karnataka’s only hope in this category, Sinchana Gowda finished third with 5.93 points.

Kamali Moorthy also secured the title in the Surfing Groms 16 & Under Girls category. Kamali earned a total of 16.84 points, the highest score of the tournament on all days. Local girl, Thanishka Mendon from Aquatic Indica Surf School, Mangalore finished as the runner’s up with a total of 06.43 points. Another Mangalorean surfer Saanvi Hegde finished third with a total of 6.0 points.

Speaking post her double wins, Kamali said, “I am very happy and grateful to the Surfing Federation of India and the judges for allowing me to participate in both female categories and winning both the titles gives me immense pleasure. The winning moments will be cherished for a long time.”

The day came to an end with an energetic performance from locals who performed a folk dance form of Karnataka called Chende along with a Jugalbandi of flute.