Indian Open Surfing: Ramesh Budhial, Sugar Banarse win

Mangalore: Karanataka surfer Ramesh Budhial won the Men's Open Surf category, beating Tamil Nadu's Ajeesh Ali on the final day of the 3rd Indian Open of Surfing here on Sunday, IANS reported.

Meanwhile, Sugar Banarse and Sofiya Sharma won the national champions in the Women's Open and groms girls (16 & under) categories, respectively, while Tamil Nadu's Kishore Kumar got crowned in the groms boys (16 & under) category.

In the men's Open Surf category Ramesh Budhial, Ajeesh Ali, Sathish Sarvanan and Ruban V made it to the finals. Ramesh's spectacular manoeuvres, which impressed judges and spectators alike, won him the crown in the category. When Ramesh finished with a cumulative point of 16.33, Ajeesh Ali finished second with 15.67 points.

Ramesh said after that match that he was there to put in his best efforts, and he succeeded in doing so.

In women's Sugar Banarse, who registered for the groms girls 16 & under the category, showed the nerves to compete in Women's Open and ruled the match with best of performances. She won, scoring 14.50 points, while runner-up cum defending champion Srishti Selvam earned 13.40. Sugar also expressed her excitement post the match.

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 give 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."

According to a press lease by the organisers, the three-day surfing competition was conducted by Mantra Surf Club under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India. The events were held at Panambur Beach in Mangaluru.