Surfers wrestle for national rank in Goa

Surfers from across the country are competing for top honours at a national surfing competition here.

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Around 45 sailors participated in the Windsurfing National championship competing for nine categories from May 22 to May 26 at the Vainguinim Beach located about seven kilometres south of Panjim.

Spectators and sports enthusiasts were greeted with surprising results.

Ashwin Tombat, President of coastal Goa State's Yachting Association said:"We got some surprising results. Last year's national champion in the Olympic RS: X category only won one race over the three held during the day. Whereas we had a girl from Odisha who was sailing for the first time in the national and she won a race in her category."

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Manaswini Maharana a wind surfing participant from Odisha, won a medal, and said that she really enjoyed surfing with such favourable wind conditions and with the blessing of her teacher and parents was able to bag a medal.

"I want to do better, fair well and become a topper," said an enthusiastic Maharana.

Besides offering a national rank to the winners, this competition would also contribute in selection of participants in the upcoming international championships.

Windsurfing is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. The boom of the 1980s led windsurfing to be recognized as an Olympic sport in 1984.

In May 2012, the International Sailing Federation voted windsurfing out of the list of the Olympic sailing disciplines for the 2016 Games in favour of kite surfing. The decision to replace windsurfing with kite boarding was reversed by the ISAF general assembly in November 2012.