In a historic milestone for Indian surfing, the team competing in the Asian Surfing Championships 2024 has secured its first-ever quotas for the 2026 Asian Games, earning one spot each for both men and women. These quotas were achieved based on the ranking points accrued by Indian surfers during the championship.
Kishore Kumar, who reached the semi-finals but narrowly missed out on advancing further, played a crucial role in securing these quotas with his exceptional performance throughout the tournament. The championship, which also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 Asian Games, featured eight Indian surfers competing across four categories.
Kumar, a multiple national champion, competed in the U-18 Boys category and finished third in the Heat 2 semi-final with a score of 8.26. Chengzheng Wang of China and Taro Takai of Japan took the top two spots in the heat. Despite his strong performances in earlier rounds, Kumar fell just short of the finals.
Harish Muthu, another standout, became the first Indian to reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Surfing Championships but did not progress further.
Arun Vasu, President of the Surfing Federation of India, expressed pride in the achievement: “This milestone reflects the dedication of our surfers, coaches, and the federation. While it would have been fantastic for Kishore to reach the finals, we are incredibly proud of his performance given his age and talent. I am optimistic about our surfers’ future prospects, including potential participation in the Olympics.”