CHENNAI: The Shore Temple Classic QS 2000 and Pro Junior got underway at Mahabalipuram beach on Wednesday, marking the return of World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series competition to India and the country's first-ever Pro Junior event.
Surfers from across Asia and beyond took on Mahabalipuram's long right-handers, with competitive action across the men's and women's QS 2000 and Men's Pro Junior divisions. Japan's Keanu Kamiyama was among the standout performers in the Men's QS 2000, posting a strong 13.67 in Round 48 to win his heat, while India's Srikanth Dhanasekaran advanced in second with 9.63. Japan continued to set the pace, with Taro Matsuno scoring 12.50, Masamune Uno 11.60 and Raimu Yamamoto 11.33.
Indian surfers made a strong impact throughout the opening rounds. Ruban Vasu won his Round 56 heat with 8.50, while Praveen Rathod and Nithish Varun also won their respective heats. In Round 48, Harish Muthu, Sanjay Selvamani, Tayin Arun and Ajeesh Ali were among the Indian surfers to advance, keeping the home challenge alive.
In the Women's QS 2000, Japan's Arisa Ishii produced the highest score of the round with an impressive 12.44, winning her heat by 6.94 points. Indonesia's Lidia Kato scored 10.27, while Thailand's Isabel Higgs posted 9.83. Indian surfers Shrishti Selvam, Ishita Suhas Malaviya, Sandhya Arunkumar and Devi Ramanathan also competed in the opening round.
The inaugural Men's Pro Junior delivered some of the day's highest scores, led by Japan's Raimu Yamamoto with a standout 15.03, followed by Taki Kanazawa with 14.83 and Ren Okano with 13.34. India's Kishore Kumar produced one of the strongest performances for the home contingent, scoring 9.60 to finish second in his heat and advance to the Round of 16.
