National Stand-Up Paddle C’ships: Sekar, Gayatri emerge victorious on Day 1

Rameswaram: Sekar Patchai and Gayatri were adjudged the National Champions of the men's & women's Technical Race (2 KM) on Day 1 of the 2022 Palkbay National Stand-Up Paddle Championships at the picturesque Pirappanvalasai beach, here on Thursday.

The opening day of the Palkbay National Stand-up Paddling Championships 2022, sanctioned by the Surfing Federation of India - the governing body for the sport of surfing and stand-up paddling (SUP), saw over 60 participants in various categories for men, women and groms (U16), battling it out for a place in the finals, in the qualifying heats.

"It feels really good to win, and I honestly did not expect to win it amongst a very competitive field, but now that we are here, I must say that it feels great to be a National Champion," Said Gayathri after the win.

In the men's 200 Mts, National Sprint Race along with 7-time National Champion Sekar Patchai of Surf Turf, the others who have qualified for the finals include Anandan & Pavinesh from SUP Marinaa, Manikandan, Santhoshan, Dhinesh Kumar and Dinesh Selvamani from Surf Turf and Rohan from Kudal.

In the Women's 200 Mts, National Sprint Race Monicka Pugazharasu from SUP Marinaa, Gayatri and Vijayalakshmi from Surf Turf and Saachi from Quest Academy made it to the finals that are due to be held on the final day of the Palkbay National StandUp Paddling Championships 2022.

Seven Time National Champion Sekar Patchai, after winning the men's technical (2KM) race said, "I feel happy to win this, especially because the technical races are always the most challenging. This race not only tests your endurance but also your technical prowess to maneuver along turns and that's what makes this win sweeter."

"I look forward to the sprint race tomorrow and the long distance race as well. The field is tough and the conditions challenging," he added.

Sekar finished the men's 200 Mts Sprint Race qualifying heats on Thursday at the pole position.

The event which will be a part of the week-long Rameswaram SUP-Week, will be held under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India.

The National Championship is being played across three categories viz; Sprint (200m), Technical (2 km) & Distance (12 km). An open category race for non-ranking athletes to test their paddle strength and speed in the Sprints class of racing will be played on Friday.

The final Day of the Championships on April 29 will feature the Finals for the Sprint (200m), Technical (2 km) and Distance (12 km) races along with the open category race for men, women and groms.