28-year-old from Chennai wins world surfing championship

Sekar finished the 6K race in 42.35 minutes, with a lead of almost 400m over his nearest competitors. 

“This is my first International win, and I cannot believe it actually happened. When I first started stand-up paddling, I didn’t even know it was an actual sport. But if I made it till here, it’s only because of the people who believed in me and pushed me to believe in myself. I thank Starboard for providing my board and my sponsor Arun Vasu (of Surf Turf), without whom nothing would have been possible for me,” Sekar said. 

Stand up paddling is an offshoot of surfing that originated in Hawaii initially. It was documented in 2013 as an outdoor sporting activity. In traditional surfing, a rider sits on the board until a wave comes – while in SUP, they stand on the board and use a paddle to move forward in the water. 

Sekar is already looking forward to his next event in Thailand. He is currently balancing his time as an instructor at Surfing Covelong Point and Surf Turf, which have fast become destinations for surfers from all over the world. 

Divya Pandurangam, who runs Surf Turf, adds that the entire Covelong community is proud of Sekar’s achievement and will continue to support his rise to international stardom on the surfing scene.