Ravi pujar

The India Paddle Festival: The India Paddle Festival, India’s first-ever international stand-up paddling (SUP) championship got off to a colourful opening ceremony at the pristine Sasihithlu beach on Friday. The first day apart from the opening ceremony featured a junior U-16 race which saw local lads Akash and Ravi Pujar winning the top two spots while South Korea’s Jihoo Hwang finished third.

The opening day featured the U-16 Junior category race that saw local lad Akash Pujar walk away with the winner’s trophy with a remarkable time of 43:04 minutes. Following closely behind was another local contender and Akash's cousin, Raju Pujar, who secured the second position with a time of 47:24 minutes. Jihoo Hwang from South Korea secured the third position, completing the race in 52:52 minutes.

Speaking after winning the U-16 Junior category title, Akash said, “I have dedicated the past six months to continuous training, while also managing the academic pressure of being in the 10th standard. Despite the challenges, of preparing for my boards as I am in class 10, I ensure I do not pause my training and I guess that is what paid off today.”