Asian Surfing Championships: India secures first-ever quota in Asian Games

Thulusdhoo (Maldives), Aug 24 (PTI) India has secured its first-ever quota in surfing competition for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan with both the men and women teams grabbing a spot each.

Participating in the Asian Surfing Championships here, the quota was awarded based on the ranking points accumulated by the surfers in the event.

While Kishore Kumar missed out narrowly in stiff competition on Saturday after making it to the semi-finals, his stunning performance throughout the competition -- finishing first in Round 1, Round 3, and the quarter-finals -- earned India the Asian Games quota.

Kishore finished third in Heat 2 of the semi-final with a score of 8.26, behind China's Chengzheng Wang, who scored 10.00 to take the second place, while Taro Takai of Japan claimed the first sport with a score of 14.50.

The Asian Surfing Championships, a qualifier for the Asian Games, had eight Indian surfers who competed in four categories.

Meanwhile, Harish Muthu also left his mark by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the Asian Surfing Championships quarter-finals before falling short after a rigid contest.

"It's 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 also see our surfers competing in the Olympics in the future. While it would have been the icing on the cake if Kishore had made it to the finals today, we are still incredibly proud of him, considering his age, talent, and unwavering determination." PTI