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The port city of Karnataka, Mangaluru, is ready to witness three days of intense action, as top Indian surfers are all set to battle it out for supremacy in the third edition of the Indian Open of Surfing.
The three-day premiere surfing competition that will take place on the tranquil Panambur beach will be held in two disciplines - Surfing and Stand Up Paddling for men, women and groms (U16) categories. Over 70 surfers including all the top national surfers have confirmed their participation in the competition which is also recognized by the International Surfing Association. D. Manikandan of Tamil Nadu will be defending his title in a tough field of surfers that includes T.Niteshvarun and Babu Sivaraj of Tamil Nadu, ranked 2 and 3 respectively. Babu Sivaraj had made his transition from the Groms Category (U 16) smoothly and now is one of the most promising talents in the country. Former National Champion, Ramesh Budhilal of Karnataka is also gearing up for a comeback season in this year's event. Satish Saravanan, M Harish and T. Manivannan are also strong contenders to make a podium finish. "I have prepared a lot for this event and I am confident that I can reclaim the National Title", said Ramesh Budhilal who is making a comeback to the circuit this year. Rajendra KV, IAS, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman District Tourism Development Committee, Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada, said "This is one of the few steps in which we plan to promote tourism in the unexplored parts of Karnataka and this association with SFI will promote both adventure water sports and tourism in the country". Shrishti Selvam of Tamil Nadu, the defending champion in the women's category will have her work cut out as she will face stiff competition from the very young Sugar Banarse of Goa, Sinchana Gowda of Karnataka and Gayatri Juvekar of Maharashtra. Sekar Patchai and Tanvi Jagdeesh will be looking to continue their dominance in the Stand Up Paddling discipline. (ANI)
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