About Indian Open of Surfing 2022

Ramesh Budhial and Sugar Banarse were crowned the new men’s and women’s national champions, respectively, at the Indian Open of Surfing 2022 on Sunday.

The three-day surfing competition was held on Panambur Beach in Mangalore, Karnataka.

The men’s event saw Ramesh Budhial emerge victorious in a close battle against Ajeesh Ali while Sugar Banarse walked away with the women’s crown after defeating the defending champion Srishti Selvam.

The final day began with the semi-finals of the men’s open surf category which saw Karnataka surfer Ramesh Budhial along with Tamil Nadu’s Ajeesh Ali, Sathish Sarvanan and Ruban V advance into the finals.

In the final moments of the competition, Ramesh Budhial caught a wave to display some breathtaking manoeuvres, impressing the judges, and helping him clinch the victory. Ramesh finished with a total score of 16.33, while runner up Ajeesh Ali finished with 15.67 points. Sathish Saravanan finished third with 13 points.

The women’s open surf competition saw 16-year-old Sugar Banarse impress with her skills and surfing from the start. Sugar scored a total of 14.50 points while runner’s up Srishti Selvam earned 13.40 points. Karnataka’s Sinchana Gowda finished third with 10.20 points. 

Surfing debuted at the Tokyo Olympics last year and will feature at Paris 2024 and LA 2028 as well.