Akash Pujar wins U-16 Junior category race in India Paddle Festival

Mangaluru: The India Paddle Festival, India’s first-ever international stand-up paddling (SUP) championship, got off to a colourful opening ceremony at the Sasihithlu beach on Friday.

The three-day SUP event, featuring over 40 top SUP athletes from over 13 countries, was inaugurated by Assembly Speaker U T Khader. The India Paddle Festival is organised by the Karnataka government and hosted by the Surfing Swami Foundation. The opening day featured the U-16 Junior category race that saw Akash Pujar walk away with the winner’s trophy with a remarkable time of 43:04 minutes.

In second position

Following closely behind was another local contender and Akash’s cousin, Raju Pujar, who secured the second position with a time of 47:24 minutes. Jihoo Hwang from South Korea secured the third position, completing the race in 52:52 minutes.

Akash after winning the U-16 Junior category title said, “I have dedicated the past six months to continuous training, while also managing the academic pressure of being in the 10th standard.”

My rigorous training has paid off, he gushed. Akash will be also competing in the Men’s Open category on Saturday and is looking forward to the competition field that have some of the top SUP athletes from across the world.

Jihoo Hwang said, “The conditions in India are more challenging compared to those back at home. But I enjoyed the race today. It’s my first time in India, and all people I have met are kind and friendly.”

The India Paddle Festival with athletes from USA, Thailand, Spain, South Korea and hosts India are vying for top honors across three categories. World no 2 Fernando Perez and Esperanza Barreras in both men and women’s category, along with Bianca Toncelli, the junior world SUP champion will be seen in action on Saturday of the India Paddle Festival.

Earlier, Assembly Speaker Khader, addressing the gathering said that there is a good future for adventure sports. There are ample opportunities on Indian beaches. The beaches should become surfing destinations. “India should be recognised in adventure sports as well, thereby supporting the youth,” he said.

Moodbidri MLA Umanath Kotian, MLC Manjunath Bhandary, among others, were present.