Asian Surfing Championships: Ramesh Budhial Scripts History With Bronze, Becomes First Indian To...

Ramesh Budhial scripted history as he became the first-ever Indian to clinch a medal in the Asian Surfing Championships in the Open Men’s category on Sunday.

Budhial accumulated 12.60 points to bag bronze, as he finished behind Kanoa Heejae of Korea and Indonesia’s Pajar Ariyana who claimed gold and silver respectively.

Heejae led the field with 15.17 points while Ariyana posted a total of 14.57 points to come in second, just ahead of Budhial, who is also the first-ever from the country to reach the medal round.

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In the Open Women’s category, Japan’s Anri Matsuno claimed the gold medal, overcoming strong competition from her compatriot Sumomo Sato. Matsuno achieved a total of 14.90 points to lead her category, while Sato accumulated 13.70 points. Isabel Higgs from Thailand secured the bronze medal with 11.76 points.

Korea’s Kanoa Heejae, who had earlier won the men’s gold, enhanced his day by also winning the Under-18 boys’ gold medal, scoring 14.33 points. The Chinese pair of Shidong Wu and Shulou Jiang, who posted 13.10 and 8 points respectively, took the silver and bronze medals.

In the girls’ U18 section, Siqi Yang from China dominated the competition with 14.50 points to win the gold medal, while Shuhan Jin, who scored 10.33 points, ensured a Chinese 1-2 finish in the event. Thailand’s Isabel earned the bronze medal with 8.10 points.

(With Inputs From PTI)