Not small thing ah,winning both Women’s Open and Surfing Juniors U-18 Girls titles at same event.
Kamali’s performance has clearly pushed her name even higher among top surfers in country . This was also not just normal championship because performances here matter for India’s surfing team selection for upcoming 2026 Asian Games .
In Women’s Open final,Kamali scored 13.17 and defended her title against Sugar Shanti Banarse,who finished with 11.73 . From outside,it sounds like Kamali kept her calm properly and held lead till end of heat.
And Kishore Kumar also had strong outing in Men’s Open category . He won with score of 15.20,going ahead of Ramesh Budihal and Sivaraj Babu,who scored 12.87 and 11.90,respectively .
Few things standing out from Indian Open of Surfing 2026:
- Kamali Moorthy secured both Women’s Open and Surfing Juniors U-18 Girls titles.
- Kishore Kumar won Men’s Open with score of 15.20 .
- Pradeep Pujar gave Karnataka its sole championship win in Surfing Juniors U-18 Boys division .
But local crowd also had reason to cheer because Pradeep Pujar,local favourite,secured Karnataka’s only title in Surfing Juniors U-18 Boys . For home supporters,that kind of win always hits differently .
Event was organized by Mantra Surf Club and Surfing Swami Foundation,with support coming from Government of Karnataka and various sponsors . And tbh,this shows surfing in India is slowly getting more serious backing,not just being treated like side sport .
After event,Kamali said,“I’m thrilled to have won both the Women's Open and U-18 Girls titles at the Indian Open of Surfing 2026. I appreciate the support from the Surfing Federation of India and all the organizers.”
Now selection process for Asian Games team will be based on performances from this event,the Andaman Little Pro 2026,and other international competitions . So yes,Kamali has made strong statement rn,but how far this momentum carries from Indian beaches to bigger international stage… that question is still hanging.
