Indian surfers make history by securing country’s first quota at Asian Games – Firstpost

Indian surfers created history on Saturday as the nation secured its first-ever quota for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, by securing a spot in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

The quota was allocated to India based on the total ranking points accumulated during the Asian Surfing Championships in Thulusdhoo, Maldives. The Surfing Federation of India (SFI) will take the final decision on the athletes representing the country in the men’s and women’s categories later.

While Kishore Kumar narrowly missed out on a tough competition on Saturday after reaching the semi-finals of the U-18 boys’ category, his stunning performance throughout the competition – finishing first in the first round, third round and quarter-finals – earned India the Asian Games quota.

Kishore finished third in the second heat of the semi-final with a score of 8.26, behind China’s Chengzheng Wang, who scored 10.00 to take second place, while Taro Takai of Japan claimed first place with a score of 14.50.

The Asian Surfing Championships, a qualifying event for the Asian Games, saw eight Indian surfers compete in four categories.

Meanwhile, Harish Muthu also left his mark by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Asian Surfing Championships before failing to make it after a tough competition.

“It is truly heartening to witness this historic day when Indian surfing has secured quotas for the upcoming Asian Games. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and determination of our surfers, coaches and the Federation over the years,” said Surfing Federation of India President Arun Vasu.

“I am confident that we will see our surfers competing in the Olympics in the future as well. While it would have been the cherry on the cake if Kishore had reached the final today, we are still incredibly proud of him, given his age, talent and sheer determination.”

On the women’s side, Kamali Moorthy and Sugar Banarse were the ones who had participated in these Asian Surfing Championships, only to lose in the first round.

With PTI inputs