Indian Surfers Ramesh Budihal, Kishore Kumar Make History Reaching Asian Championships Semifinals

Scripting history Indian surfers Ramesh Budihal and Kishore Kumar became the first to reach the semifinals of the Asian Surfing Championships in the Open Men’s category in Mahabalipuram today.
 
Budihal, in action in the first heat of the day, dominated his quarterfinal with a score of 14.84, finishing ahead of the Philippines’ Neil Sanchez. This is the moment we have been waiting for. I had gone out in the morning to catch a couple of waves. And I thought this was what I needed to do in my heats as well. It’s a proud moment for us, said Budihal. The surfer, who had missed out competing in last year’s championship in the Maldives, was thrilled to make the most of his chance.
 
Meanwhile, Kishore, competing in the final heat of the men’s open, delivered a composed performance to place second with 10.50, behind heat-topper Eduardo Alciso of the Philippines . Last year, the young Indian talent competed in the Under-18 category of the 2024 edition and became the first from the country to reach the semifinals in that age group.