Kovalam, Tamil Nadu, August 8, 2024: In the final leg of the national surfing championship of the Surfing Federation of India, Tamil Nadu surfers stole the show with a dominant performance on the opening day of the Covelong Classic 2024. Groms (16 and Under) Boys prodigy and local lad Kishore Kumar wowed everyone 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 an 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.
The three-day Covelong Classic 2024 is organized by the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India and is hosted by Surf Turf. The event has found support from the Tamil Nadu Government and the Ministry of Youth Welfare and Sports Development. The Tamil Nadu Surfing Association is serving as the title sponsor. Jawa Yezdi, a leading motorcycle company, is returning as a ‘Powered By’ sponsor for the third consecutive year, aiming to unite the worlds of biking and surfing. Additionally, the renowned TT Group of Tamil Nadu is extending its support as ‘Co-Powered By’ partners for the eleventh consecutive year.
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 were the surfers from Tamil Nadu who surfed their way to seal a place for Round 2. Nithish Varun T topped the list with a score of 11.34 while Naveenkumar R (10.0) was 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 on day 1. The other surfers advancing to the semi-finals include Prahlad Sriram (8.90), Harish P (8.70), Lokesh S (7.77), Som Sethi (6.94), Pradeep Pujar (6.60), and Yogesh A (6.50).
“It was a challenging day as the tides were high and the testing conditions, but I am glad that I’ve made it to the semi-finals. It is going to be a tough field as most of us practice together and we all want to win. But I am looking forward to this challenge and hoping I can continue with my performance tomorrow,” said Kishore Kumar after finishing with the day’s best score of the day.
Day 2 of the Covelong Classic 2024 will feature Round 2 and quarter-finals of the men’s open category along with the semi-finals of the women’s category and the groms 16 & under category.
Speaking about the conditions today, Mr. 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 Covelong Classic 2024 is the final leg of the national surfing championship, a Surfing Federation of India tournament. The National Surfing Championship for 2024 began with the International Surfing Festival, Varkala earlier this year, followed by the Indian Open of Surfing in Mangalore. The Mahabs Point Break Challenge, Mahabalipuram is the penultimate championship of the national calendar.
