Sekar Patchai & Tanvi Jagadish Defend National Stand Up Paddle Championship Title

Chennai, 26th March’22 : Sekar Patchai & Tanvi Jagadish successfully defended their National Stand Up Paddle Championship Title bagging the Gold medal at the Alampara Stand Up Paddle National Championship 2022. The National Championship was being hosted at the Alampara Surf Turf under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India, the governing body for surfing & stand-up paddling in India.

“It feels very good to defend my title. I would also like to thank the Surfing Federation of India for restarting all the competitions as these competitions will play a key role in preparing all of us for the season ahead Nationally and Internationally,” said an elated Sekar Patchai, the only male athlete to have represented India at the World Stand Up Paddling Championships, after defending his title.

The field at the Alampara Stand Up Paddle National Championship 2022 saw participants from across the country and featured Technical and Sprint races for the first time in the country as per international racing standards. What was very encouraging was a strong representation of women in the competition this time.

A visibly ecstatic Tanvi Jagdish, the only female athlete to have represented India at the World Stand Up Paddling Championships, said, “It’s a very happy feeling first that competitions in Stand Up Paddling are back and then to defend my title. I think the Surfing Federation of India has done a great job in promoting the sport and I was pleasantly surprised to see so many women competing this year. I hope that this only grows from here and we have many more competitions to participate in this year.”

“It’s very encouraging to see that even after a very tough two years we could host the National Stand Up Paddling Championship with such a fantastic turnout. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Alampara Surf Turf for hosting the National CXhampionships and for ensuring all participants and visitors are well taken care of. As a federation, we are committed to the growth of Surfing & Stand Up Paddling in India and it's made me very happy to see the field this year that spread across a wide area of the country. I am confident that this year will be a busy year for us and our athletes and we will see more surfing & stand-up paddling events being organized,” said Mr. Arun Vasu, President, Surfing Federation of India.

Around 50 participants including men and women were competing at the recently concluded Alampara Stand Up Paddle National Championship 2022.

The scenic Alampara backwaters are suitable for the development of paddle sports as well as wind sports. The Surfing Federation of India has been promoting the sport for the last decade with regular events and outreach programs to create grassroots growth of the sport.

RESULTS:

StandUp Paddle Technical Race (2 km, Nationals, Male)

Gold: Sekar Patchai

Silver: Manikandan M.

Bronze: Santosh S.

StandUp Paddle Sprint (200 meters, Nationals, Female)

Gold: Tanvi Jagadish

Silver: Monicka P

Bronze: Gayatri Juvekar

StandUp Paddle Sprint (2pm meters, Nationals, Male)

Gold: Sekar Patchai

Silver: Manikandan M.