Rameswaram: Tamil Nadu’s Sekar Patchai and Tanvi Jagdish dominated the Men’s and Women’s Technical categories, respectively, on the first day of the Palkbay Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) Challenge 2024, held at Pirappanvalasi Beach. The national SUP championship, organized by Quest Academy under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India, saw thrilling competition across all categories.
Sekar Patchai successfully defended his title in the Men’s Technical category, completing the 4km race with an impressive time of 21:08.48 minutes. Fellow Tamil Nadu paddlers Manikandan M and Santhosan secured second and third place with times of 22:10.07 minutes and 24:44.48 minutes, respectively, ensuring a podium sweep for the host state.
In the Women’s Technical category, Tanvi Jagdish dethroned former champion Monika P, crossing the finish line with a time of 28:16.29 minutes. Monika completed the race in 30:32.63 minutes to take second place, while Vijayalakshmi Irulappan, also from Tamil Nadu, finished third with a time of 31:19.29 minutes.
A new category added to this year’s championship, the SUP Technical Mixed Groms, saw Karnataka’s Akash Pujar claim the title with a timing of 11:06.15 minutes. Tamil Nadu’s Muthukumar N finished second at 11:25.88 minutes, while Karnataka’s Praveen Pujar secured third place at 11:29.81 minutes.
Muthukumar N, a local paddler from Pirappanvalasai village, has been training under International Surfing Association SUP coach Jehan Driver. His silver medal finish in the Mixed Groms category brought immense pride to his community, showcasing the local talent in this growing sport.