Mangaluru, May 31: Tamil Nadu surfer Kamali Moorthy emerged as the standout performer at the seventh Indian Open of Surfing, securing India’s surfing quota for the 2026 Asian Games and claiming two championship titles on the final day of competition.
The prestigious national championship, which serves as a key component of the selection process for India’s surfing contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, concluded with Kamali winning both the Women’s Open and Surfing Juniors U-18 Girls categories. The results also hold significance for the Andaman surfing community, with the upcoming inaugural Andaman Little Pro 2026 set to play a role in the final selection of the national team.
Kamali successfully defended her Women’s Open title with a score of 13.17 in a closely contested final. Sugar Shanthi Banarse finished second with 11.73 points, while Shrishti Selvam secured third place with 8.50 points. The contest remained competitive throughout before Kamali delivered a decisive scoring ride late in the heat to move ahead and retain her crown.
The Tamil Nadu surfer later completed a championship double by dominating the Surfing Juniors U-18 Girls final. She established an early lead through a series of strong rides and maintained control of the event to finish with a winning score of 14.83. Karnataka’s Saanvi Hegde claimed second place with 5.67 points, while Aadya Singh finished third with 2.73 points.
In the Men’s Open division, Kishore Kumar of Tamil Nadu captured the national title with a score of 15.20. He finished ahead of Ramesh Budihal, who scored 12.87, while Sivaraj Babu and Srikanth D secured third and fourth positions respectively. The final featured some of the country’s leading surfers competing for one of the most important titles on the national calendar.
Karnataka’s Pradeep Pujar delivered a memorable performance before a home crowd to win the Surfing Juniors U-18 Boys title with 12.17 points. Tayin Arun finished second with 11.26 points, while Prahlad Sriram took third place with 9.50 points.
The championship also featured the inaugural U-14 Groms categories. Harish P won the boys’ division with a commanding score of 17.23, while Dhamayanthi Sriram secured the girls’ title with 10.50 points. The introduction of the new categories highlighted the growing depth of emerging surfing talent across India.
Organised by the Mantra Surf Club and Surfing Swami Foundation under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India, the event received support from the Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Surfing Association.
Following the conclusion of the championship, selection for the Indian team for the 2026 Asian Games will be based on performances at the Indian Open of Surfing 2026, the upcoming Andaman Little Pro 2026, coaching camps, international competitions and overall rankings. The inclusion of the Andaman event in the selection pathway further underscores the growing importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India’s evolving surfing landscape.
