Indian Surfers Shine at Asian Games Qualifier in Maldives

Maldives: Harish Muthu and Kishore Kumar have made a mark in the surfing world by advancing to the quarterfinals at the Surfing Asian Games 2026 qualifiers held in Thulusdhoo, Maldives. This prestigious competition features eight Indian surfers competing across four categories.

Harish Muthu from Tamil Nadu secured his spot in the Men’s Open quarterfinals despite fierce competition. In the quarterfinals, he faced tough contenders Joi Satriawan from Indonesia and Kaisei Adachi from Japan, who finished first and second, respectively. Harish finished third with a score of 6.76, having earlier qualified by securing second place in Heat 1 of Round 3 with a score of 8.43, based on two top waves scores of 5.33 and 3.10.

In the U-18 category, Indian prodigy Kishore Kumar made waves by scoring 14.33, the highest of any surfer in Round 3. His impressive performance included two wave scores of 6.83 and 7.5, placing him at the top of Heat 2 of Round 3. Kishore will face off against John Chan from Chinese Taipei and Sayyid Salahudheen from the Maldives in Heat 3 of the quarterfinals, scheduled for tomorrow.

Reflecting on his performance, Harish Muthu said, “I am proud of my performance in the Championships even though I couldn’t make it into the semis. This was a great experience for me to compete amongst the top-ranked Asian surfers, and I have learned a lot from this competition.”

Arun Vasu, President of the Surfing Federation of India, expressed his excitement and pride. “It’s exhilarating to see these young Indian surfers not just compete but excel on the international stage. Their relentless pursuit of excellence and hard work is evident. These achievements are the result of countless hours of training and are sending a strong message to the world: India is here to compete at the highest levels. Our goal is to bring medals home to India through surfing. It is also inspiring to see that these surfers come from the fishing communities of Tamil Nadu, demonstrating that with passion and dedication, the sky is the limit.”