CHENNAI: Sekar Patchai and Tanvi Jagdish of Tamil Nadu were crowned champions in the men’s and women’s technical categories, respectively, on Day 1 of the Palkbay Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) Challenge 2024, the National SUP Championship organised by Quest Academy under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India. Karnataka’s Akash Pujar walked away with a SUP Technical Mixed Groms title.
Competing at the picturesque Pirappanvalasi Beach in Palk Bay, Sekar successfully defended his title with a timing of 21:08.48 minutes in the 4-km race. Fellow Tamil Nadu stand-up paddlers, Manikandan M and Santhosan secured second and third place with the timings of 22:10.07 minutes and 24:44.48 minutes, respectively, completing a clean sweep for the hosts.
Tanvi crossed the finish line with a timing of 28:16.29 minutes to snatch the title from the former champion, Monika P of Tamil Nadu, who completed the race at 30:32.63 minutes. Vijayalakshmi Irulappan, also from Tamil Nadu, completed the podium with a time of 31:19.29 minutes, securing third place.
In the latest addition to the Palkbay National Championship 2024, the SUP Technical Mixed Groms category, Pujar emerged as the champion with a timing of 11:06.15 minutes. Close behind were Tamil Nadu’s Muthukumar N, who finished second with a timing of 11:25.88 minutes, and Karnataka’s Praveen Pujar, who claimed third place with a timing of 11:29.81 minutes.
Hailing from Pirappanvalasai village, local lad Muthukumar has been honing his skills under the guidance of Jehan Driver, an International Surfing Association SUP coach.