Covelong Classic: Tamil Nadu surfers steal show on Day 1

Chennai, Aug 8 (PTI) Tamil Nadu surfers stole the show on the opening day of the final leg of the National Surfing Championship of the Surfing Federation of India at nearby Kovalam on Thursday.

In the Groms (16 and under) Boys event, local lad Kishore Kumar came up with a stellar performance on the challenging waves, scoring 13.66, the highest for the day.

The other category that was in competition today was the Men’s open category that saw absolute dominance from the host state surfers, with Nithish Varun T in Round 1. Karnataka’s Pradeep Pujar is the lone contender from the state in contention for a podium finish in the Groms 16 & Under category.

A challenging day with high tides began with the Men’s Open Surfing category. Round 1 saw a total of 32 competitors from eight heats vying for a place in Round 2 tomorrow, but it was the surfers from Tamil Nadu who surfed their way to seal a place in Round 2.

Nithish Varun T topped the list with a score of 11.34 while Naveenkumar R (10.0) placed second. The others to have made it to round two include Kalapathy S (9.50), Ajith K (8.0), and Santosh M (7.10).

The other event of the day, the Surfing Groms 16 and Under Boys quarterfinals saw a breathtaking performance from the 14-year-old Kishore Kumar who sealed his spot for the semi-finals tomorrow with the highest score of the day at 13.66 while his state mate in the same category, Tayin Arun, finished with the second-best score of the 12.83.

Speaking about the conditions today, Nawaz Jabbar, Contest Director said, “For the first time in years, the nationals experienced a longer-than-usual hold on a day because of less powerful waves and challenging high tides. Although we managed to complete all the heats, we look forward to improved wave conditions over the remaining days”.

The three-day Covelong Classic 2024 is organised by the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India and is hosted by Surf Turf.

The Covelong Classic 2024 is the final leg of the national surfing championship, a Surfing Federation of India tournament. PTI AYG ANE