The Palkbay National Stand Up Paddling Championships – Results
Sekar Patchai Does a Clean Sweep, Monicka Pugazharasu & Gayatri Juvekar Walkaway with Top Honours at The Palkbay National Stand Up Paddling Championships
Sekar Patchai did a clean sweep by winning the National Championship in Men’s Technical (2 KM) Distance (12KM) & Sprint (200Mts) races respectively
Monicka Pugazharasu & Gayatri Juvekar become National Champions of the Women’s Distance Race (6KM) & Sprint Race (200Mts) respectively
Gayatri Juvekar also became the National Champion in the Women’s Technical (2 KM) Race
Sanjay A won the 200 M Sprint Race in the Groms category (U 16)
The two-day Palkbay National Championship 2022 concluded today with over 60 participants competing for the top honors.
The Surfing Federation of India official tournament is sponsored & promoted by Tamil Nadu Tourism, TT Group, Go Pro India, Yolo Kayaks, JKR Resorts & Spas & Thunder Monkey Surf Gear
Rameswaram, 1st May 2022: The Palkbay National Stand-Up Paddling Championships 2022, sanctioned by the Surfing Federation of India - the governing body for the sport of surfing & stand-up paddling (SUP), came to to to an end today at the picturesque Pirappanavalsai beach, Rameswaram. The two-day event saw intense competitions in various categories for men, women, and groms (U16), and the finals of Distance Race (12km for men and 6km for women) and Sprint (200 m) were held today. Sekar Patchai & Monicka Pugazharasu were adjudged the National Champions of the Men’s (12 KM) & Women’s (6 KM) Distance Race while Gayatri Juvekar became the national champion for the Women’s Technical (2 KM) & Sprint (200 Mts.) Races.
“It feels great to be a National Champion by beating Gayatri Juvekar who won the technical race yesterday and in a field of other tough racers”, said Monicka after winning the Women’s Distance Race (6 km).
The 200 M sprint race for women saw Monicka and Gayatri fighting for top honors. In the end, Gayatri Juvekar finished ahead of Monicka in a tightly contested race. “The race between Monicka and me are always tight and competitive and I am happy that I won the sprint today”, said Gayatri after winning the Women’s 200m sprint race. She was placed second in the Distance race earlier today.
Seven-Time National Champion Sekar Patchai, after winning the Men’s Technical (12 KM), Distance (12KM), and Sprint (200 M) races said, “I feel excited to win all three races here this week and today the races were tight and I had to maintain my stamina and endurance throughout the race in tough conditions. In the sprint race, my only aim was to paddle from start to finish at one pace”.
In the last race of the day, Sanjay A paddled ahead of Kishore Kumar and B. Pravin in the 200 M Sprint Race for the Groms Category (U 16)
The event was held as a part of the week-long Rameshwaram SUP Week held under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India. The 7-day long Rameswaram SUP Week that aims to promote and grow the sport of Stand-Up Paddling is supported and is promoted by the Tamil Nadu Tourism, TT Group, JK Resorts & Spas, Go Pro India, Thunder Monkey Surf Gear, Yolo Kayaks and is being organized by the host of the event Quest Academy (a SPEFL-SC partner promoting sports skill development in the country).
Mr. Arun Vasu, President, the Surfing Federation of India said “This year was one of the most competitive National Championships and all the races were exciting to watch. I am happy for the improvement that the seasoned paddlers showed and also excited about the future of the sport as there are many new talents that are coming up for the Championships which will increase the competition in the upcoming events”.
The National Championship was played across three categories viz; Sprint (200m), Technical (2 km) & Distance (12 km for men and 6 km for women). An open category race for non-ranking athletes to test their paddle strength and speed in the Sprints class of racing was also held today.